China buying back medical masks from Turkey, opposition MP claims
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies have presented parliamentary questions to the Health Ministry, claiming that the global stock of medical masks are drained and that Chinese companies are buying back products that had been sold to Turkey. They also asked whether the government is prepared for a possible outbreak.
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Concerns over the coronavirus have drained the global stock of medical masks and Chinese companies are buying back product sold to Turkey, claimed the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Gamze Taşçıer.
"Many pharmaceutical warehouses are out of masks. Mainly imported from China, these products haven't been delivered since the outbreak began. Chinese companies are buying back masks they sold to our country," Taşçıer said.
Taşçıer also noted the shortage of certain medications due to low sale prices that disrupt imports, adding that citizens sometimes struggle even find regular flu medicines.
"If a coronavirus outbreak happens in Turkey at a time, it would cause a huge health crisis. The [Health] Ministry should find solutions not just for hospitals but also regarding the supply shortage of medical masks and medications," Taşçıer said.
Taşçıer brought forward a parliamentary question to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, asking about governmental solutions regarding the shortage of medical masks, the black market sales of medical masks and a strategy for a possible outbreak.
CHP Deputy Burhanettin Bulut also presented a parliamentary question asking how many medical masks were currently in stock, how many masks were imported, whether the mask imports were conducted by the Health Ministry, whether there were enough masks for a potential outbreak and what precautions the ministry had taken against the coronavirus.