UK Chinese community donates medical gowns to NHS amid PPE shortage concerns

Amid growing concern over the personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage for the frontline medical staff, the Chinese community in Britain donated 30,000 protective medical gowns to the National Health Service (NHS) on Monday. The initiative "We Care NHS", spearheaded by the London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA) and Zhejiang UK Association, gathers support and donations from more than a hundred Chinese community groups and individuals across the country since late March.

The consignment of 30,000 medical gowns were handed over to Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust on Monday and about 70,000 surgical masks and other equipments are on their way, according to a press release of the British Chinese Community Group.

"As a token of thanks, this batch of 30,000 gowns represents the hearts and minds of more than a hundred Chinese community groups and individuals, who would like to show appreciation to the NHS in the pandemic, and to help in any way to protect the NHS staff in their selfless endeavour to save lives and beat the virus," Chu Ting Tang, president of the LCCA, said at the handover ceremony.

David Lawson, chief procurement officer for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are pleased to confirm receipt of 30,000 protective gowns, essential and timely for our work fighting COVID-19, and to thank for Chinese community's this generous donation."

The initiative runs concurrently with another donation organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the UK for the Lord Mayor's Appeal, the official charity of City of London, which received 1.862 million items of medical supplies including 20 ventilators on April 8.

By the last weekend, more than 4 million pieces of PPE and ventilators have been donated by the Chinese businesses, the Chinese community groups and individuals to the NHS and local care homes in London, Birmingham and many other parts of the country, said the British Chinese Community Group, which is comprised of more than 150 members and over 100 donors ranging from community associations to individuals across Britain.