UK doctors reject China made ventilators, say they were badly built

About 250 breathing kits purchased from China have been rejected by NHS doctors in the UK for being badly built and “potentially dangerous for patients”

The doctors who had written to the country’s Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, warned that the manufacturers of the Shangrila 510 ventilators had built the device to “basic” quality for use by ambulances not hospitals, with an oxygen supply channel both “variable and unreliable”.

“We believe that if used, significant patient harm, including death, is likely,” the Medics wrote “We look forward to the withdrawal and replacement of these ventilators with devices better able to provide intensive care ventilation for our patients.”

“All of the ventilators failed” A doctor at one of the affected hospitals said.

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“Nothing worked. They didn’t have proper oxygen centres and the tubing didn’t fit. We were irate. All the hospitals tried to get them to work but we couldn’t.”

With supplies from China, the UK had hoped to increase its stock on ventilators from 8,000-before the pandemic struck to 30,000 before they near their peak.

“You have to be careful who you procure stuff from, because the supply and then what ultimately arrives can be very variable” a senior NHS staff said.

“But, then again, we didn’t have enough ventilators to start with because the government was unprepared for coronavirus, so we had to ask China to help.”

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