BANGKOK, Apr 4 (NNN-TNA) – Thailand’s state pharmaceutical enterprise told the media that, it is expecting 400,000 sets of N95 masks and 400,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) suits, to arrive from China next week, to assist Thai medical workers in fighting the COVID-19.
“These products are urgent and we will have an airline to fly to China to pick them up,” said Dr. Withoon Danwiboon, managing director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO).
Withoon said, the purchasing process of the N95 masks and PPE took a while as it needed approval from Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and several medical schools.
“However, this lot will not be enough as it will be used up in less than a month,” said Withoon. “We will be ordering a million more from China.”
Meanwhile, FDA Secretary-General, Dr. Paisarn Dunkum, said, every country has placed orders for N95 masks and PPE suits as they are in high demand, especially with the current COVID-19 crisis.
“We have already placed order from our local manufacturer 3M Co. Ltd in Jan, but we need more,” said Paisarn.
Withoon said, the GPO spent 660 million baht (20 million U.S. dollars) in buying the first lot of N95 masks and PPE suits from China.
The Ministry of Public Health reported 103 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 1,978 in Thailand.– NNN-TNA
