An urgent call has been made by the World Medical Association to governments and the World Health Organisation to set up an international supply chain for medicines and supplies to help health professionals fight the spread of coronavirus.

Dr. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, Chair of the WMA Council, said: ‘We have received urgent requests from our member associations in the Asian region about a dangerous shortage of medical supplies to prevent infection of health professionals. Gloves, masks, detergents, single use coats and cloaks are all in short supply. We are urging the World Medical Association and governments around the world to immediately set up an international supply chain to fulfil the desperate needs of our colleagues.

‘Messages from China, Hong Kong and other Asian countries indicate the need for a diversification of international supply chains to reduce dependency from one country or region, or in extreme cases just from one producer. There also needs to be a decentralized stockpiling of necessary goods for emergency preparedness and a revision of dangerous cost containment laws which in the past have led to a cut in expenditure for emergency preparedness.’