Britain Destroys Unused COVID-19 PPE Worth IDR 29 Trillion, Considered Massive Concession

Illustration of health workers treating COVID-19 patients during a volatile pandemic. (Between)

JAKARTA - The British government destroyed 1.4 billion personal protective equipment (PPE) or around Rp29 trillion produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This action is considered a waste.

Labor Party politician Wes Streeting has criticized the British government for what he calls a "massive purchase" of taxpayers' money.

"We all know that billions of pounds were wasted during the pandemic for corruption and inability, but what the BBC found was the worst example I've ever seen - 1.4 billion pounds] for a contract, to pay for PPE that was never used," Wes said. who is also a health practitioner, Tuesday, June 25, quoted from the Mirror.

He urged the British Government to explain in more detail regarding efforts to destroy PPE purchased from the state budget.

"This is a huge waste and I think we need a complete and honest explanation of how much public money was thrown into the toilet."

The mass health service manufacturer NHS produces at least 1.57 billion PPE items after the standard for the UK. The PPE was never used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NHS reportedly struck an agreement with the British Government regarding PPE production worth 1.78 billion or around IDR 36.9 trillion in April 2020.

In this agreement, the NHS induces face masks, respirators, eye protection, and health protection. This is the largest PPE order from one supplier during the COVID-19 era, while spending 13 percent of UK Government spending.

The BBC reports that around 749 million PPE items were destroyed by burning. Meanwhile, the other 825 million PPE items owned by the UK are classified as overstock with the possibility of being recycled.

Previously, the UK Government said the massive PPE procurement effort was a quick step towards the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the government competed with the global market regarding the large supply demand at that time.