British Ambassador says unusable Turkish medical gowns came from a private supplier not from the gov't
British Ambassador Sir Dominick Chilcott said that news about personal protective equipment (PPE) from Turkey failing the UK's safety controls were untrue. The ambassador said that a small portion of gowns from a private supplier had failed, but that these goods had nothing to do with Ankara's gift of PPE to the UK in April.
Duvar English
British Ambassador to Turkey Sir Dominick Chilcott refuted the news stories suggesting that some 400,000 disposable gowns which Turkey shipped to the UK in April failed security controls and were deemed unusable.
"Stories in the UK media that 400K items of PPE sent from Turkey are unusable are untrue. A small number of gowns from a private supplier have failed tests," Chilcott tweeted May 7.
The ambassador said that while some gowns from one particular vendor had failed, others from the same vendor had passed security measures of the UK's National Health Services (NHS).
Majority of the purchase from this particular vendor is still awaiting control, Chilcott added.
Chilcott also noted that the gowns that failed NHS controls were not part of Turkey's gift of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the UK that was shipped in April with a delay.
"These garments are not connected to the Turkish government’s gift of PPE to the UK nor to the 68K coveralls which they provided when the order from the private company was originally delayed," Chilcott tweeted.
The ambassador lastly expressed gratitude to Turkey on behalf of the UK.
Turkey's Health Ministry claims pre-approval from NHS
Turkey's Health Ministry responded to claims of the gowns failing controls by noting that the supply had been shipped April 7 after receiving NHS approval.
The ministry said that the supplies' CE and ISO certifications, documenting environmental and safety controls have been passed, were delivered to the UK prior to the shipment.
"NHS officials gave us written confirmation that the products sent by the Turkish government were not problematic in any way," the official statement noted.
The Health Ministry's statement said that Turkey's Foreign Ministry had also requested an explanation "from relevant authorities" about the false news stories.