THE GOVERMENT is set to get tough with China after it emerged that 20% of a recent delivery of PPE was substandard.

A large portion of the €200 million delivery of protective equipment was found to be unusable for health care workers on the front line.

Now the HSE has told the Chinese company responsible for the delivery that unless the quality of the equipment being sent is guaranteed, they won't be any more deals between the two nations with regards to PPE.

Health care workers in Ireland were reportedly dismayed at the shoddy quality of the equipment, which was either too small or out of date.

HSE chief Paul Reid added that while 20% of the kit was unusable, a further 15% had been classified as "acceptable if the preferred product is not available," a.k.a, backup equipment.

"We will be using [the backup kit] for other specific purposes," Reid said,"perhaps in some of our isolation units and teams.


"A specific issue here relates to some of the masks that don't meet our requirements for specific respiratory masks but they may be used for other purposes, and that represents about 20%.

"We have been in discussion with the supplier as we have identified this. The supplier, I should recognise, has been cooperating with us this week since we identified this particular issue," he added.

Ireland announced on Monday that it would be ramping up the number of daily tests, from between 1,500 - 2,500 a day to 4,500 a day.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced on Sunday that he would be coming out of medical retirement and will re-register to work in the HSE one day a week during the coronavirus pandemic.