The Ministry of Health has put 4.9 million PPE masks sourced in March on “quality assurance” hold after it identified potential concerns around the quality of some of the masks.
In a statement released today, the ministry said the concerns over the masks, obtained from China, included inconsistencies in labelling and certification.
“Due to the pressure on global supply lines in March, PPE was being purchased quickly and often from different sources than those usually used in the health sector as part of the Covid-19 response,” the statement said.
A ministry spokesperson told 1 NEWS there are a range of usual PPE suppliers used by the health system, including large global providers and some domestic supply.
“All masks should have clear labelling and certification to show they meet the appropriate standards,” the spokesperson said.
“Labelling on some masks may be inconsistent with the certification we have, or we have some queries on aspects of the certification. This has prompted these being put on hold while additional information is sought from suppliers.”
The statement outlined that the Ministry of Health has reviewed all PPE orders since the start of the year “as part of routine due diligence to ensure quality and authenticity of PPE”.
DHBs that have received the masks of potential concern have been asked to put them on hold in a precautionary move, while further quality checks are completed.
In the past two days, the ministry has updated health professionals on the use of PPE at Alert Level 1.
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