Today, 625 more people, who have contracted the coronavirus, have been admitted to Dutch hospitals. The number of confirmed infections in the country stands at 14 697. Philips is, therefore, supplying ventilation equipment to these hospitals.
The equipment is being delivered under strict surveillance – 100 pieces have arrived at their destination; 900 are on the way. According to Philips’s Eindhoven office, the first 100 respirators have arrived in the Netherlands from the US. This Eindhoven-based multinational has a branch in that country.
The remaining 900 devices will be sent in the coming weeks. To ensure that the cargo arrives safely, secure transport is used for delivery. Before the equipment’s arrival, the company also does not make this information public.
Philips is currently producing 1,000 respirators a week. “That is twice as much as we used to make. The production capacity was at 500 machines. Ultimately, we want to scale up to 4,000 machines per week.”
Distribution
Considering the high demand from various countries, Philips decides, independently, where to distribute the respirators. “We look at where the need is the greatest and where the urgency is highest. This is done based on the available data.”
“However, we would have prefered an organisation such as the WHO (World Health Organisation) take responsibility for distribution. Unfortunately, that is not happening. The industry has to make this decision,” says a Philips’s spokesperson.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Shufei
Editor: Melinda Walraven
