Tuesday 17 May 2022 09:34 AM NHS 'dangerously over-reliant' on China with one in SIX medical items coming ... trends now
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The NHS has become 'dangerously over-reliant' on China for vital medicines and supplies, a report has warned.
One in six medical items used in UK hospitals, including needles, bandages and oxygen, are shipped from Beijing, according to the thinktank Civitas.
It found that overall NHS dependency on Chinese supply chains has trebled since 2019, with the UK now sending £6.2billion a year to Beijing for medical gear.
The report warned China could 'weaponise' or 'switch off' medical supplies in future geo-political spats.
Security experts are now calling for an 'NHS Security Act' to wean Britain off Chinese medical items and start manufacturing more domestically.
It comes as Europe tries to reduce its dependency on Russian gas and oil following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin has cut off energy exports to Poland and Bulgaria for supplying Ukraine with aid and hitting Russia with financial sanctions.
The NHS has become 'dangerously over-reliant' on China for vital medicines and supplies, a report has warned (stock of a mask factory)
Civitas looked at 228 medical items on the Government's disaster relief list - which include drugs, tests, medical devices and personal protective equipment (PPE).
The team found that 17 per cent came from China, up from 6 per cent before the pandemic.
They warned that Britain went 'cap in hand' to Beijing for medical supplies during the Coivd crisis when it was caught off-guard by the pandemic.
