On the day the nation stood silent in honour of NHS staffers who lost their lives, a ‘Mail Force One’ landed late last night at a very deserted Heathrow.
Weighing 20 tons, the news brand brought 150,000 protective coveralls and masks from China and flew them to the UK to help fill the PPE shortage in NHS hospitals.
The initiative is part of a Daily Mail charity ‘Mail Force’, which aims to help the NHS with the lack of PPE equipment. The charity is supported by Mail readers, the public and also big donors.
This is the first of many airlifts, as more supplies arrive in the coming days and weeks.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens thanked the campaign: “On behalf of the NHS, our great thanks go to everyone involved in this for helping to provide us and our nurses, doctors and other staff with this extra kit.
“The Government is bringing in personal protective equipment from international suppliers and now British manufacturers but this is a global pandemic and there are global shortages, so supplies have been a continuing concern.
“Since the NHS was founded more than 70 years ago, our staff and patients have been helped and supported by volunteers, philanthropists and many others – this Mail Force campaign sits firmly in that important tradition.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock added: “This delivery is a boost to the national effort, and I thank everyone involved for their fantastic work in pushing through the complex challenges of securing PPE amid global shortages, in aid of our heroic frontline workers.
“A combined domestic and international effort of Government, industry, NHS supply chain and the Armed Forces are working around the clock to get PPE delivered as quickly as possible to those on the frontline during this global pandemic.
“I’m delighted that today’s arrival of equipment will be immediately making its way to the NHS frontline enabling staff to provide world-class medical care.”
Read the full story in today’s Daily Mail.
Source: Daily Mail.
