News1 min ago
Covid Profiteering Or What?
The current issue of Private Eye has an article about a company that supplied ventilators and other PPE during the pandemic, making massive profits; then the company being sold and eventually wound-up without paying the owed corporation tax (£2.1 million) and £80k owed in business rates to Westminster council.
But what was of more interest to me was that the company supplied 2,700 ventilators at £50k each, acquired from a Chinese supplier - so was that a good deal for whoever entered into the procurement contract on behalf of the government?
Up to about 10 years ago, part of my job involved in testing ventilators for a small British ventilator manufacturer, the guy who owned the company had started it from scratch. Being a medical device that could be life saving, they included an integral battery in the event of a mains supply failure; they were well designed with a colour touch-screen user-interface.
I often chatted with the owner; he said that he could set up a manufacturing operation in China, producing the product much cheaper – but he knew if he did that the market would soon be swamped with knock-off copies of his product.
I asked him how much he sold the ventilators for. He said that there was no fixed price and it would depend on how many units were being brought and other add-on services in the deal; but he said the price might be as low as £2.5k and as high as £5k.
So 10 years ago, this British company would have sold one ventilator for £5k, and less than 10 years later the British government brought 2,700 for £50k each.
If you did not know that the incompetent government was wasting tax-payer money (big-time) on medical equipment during the pandemic, you do now.
But what was of more interest to me was that the company supplied 2,700 ventilators at £50k each, acquired from a Chinese supplier - so was that a good deal for whoever entered into the procurement contract on behalf of the government?
Up to about 10 years ago, part of my job involved in testing ventilators for a small British ventilator manufacturer, the guy who owned the company had started it from scratch. Being a medical device that could be life saving, they included an integral battery in the event of a mains supply failure; they were well designed with a colour touch-screen user-interface.
I often chatted with the owner; he said that he could set up a manufacturing operation in China, producing the product much cheaper – but he knew if he did that the market would soon be swamped with knock-off copies of his product.
I asked him how much he sold the ventilators for. He said that there was no fixed price and it would depend on how many units were being brought and other add-on services in the deal; but he said the price might be as low as £2.5k and as high as £5k.
So 10 years ago, this British company would have sold one ventilator for £5k, and less than 10 years later the British government brought 2,700 for £50k each.
If you did not know that the incompetent government was wasting tax-payer money (big-time) on medical equipment during the pandemic, you do now.
Answers
1 to 20 of 20
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by Hymie. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
have a go at this hymie: https:/
-- answer removed --
//If you did not know that the incompetent government was wasting tax-payer money (big-time) on medical equipment during the pandemic, you do now.//
Anybody not knowing that was asleep for three years.
Similarly, anybody not knowing that the NHS is hopelessly inefficient and wasteful in just about everything it does is not keeping up (and hasn't been for the last fifty years).
Politicians are not best placed to run vital services and the people who are paid to do so (in this case the highly paid executives of the multitude of trusts and other organisations which make up the NHS) are usually peripatetic jobbing executives with no particularly health-orientated skills. For evidence of this look no further than Tony Chambers, Chief Executive of Countess of Chester NHS Trust when nurse Lucy Letby came under suspicion of harming children in her care. He is now on his third job since leaving Chester after refusing to call in the police when senior doctors voiced their concerns over nurse Letby.
The people to blame for the appalling lack of readiness of the NHS to deal with a pandemic are the people who ran these organisations in 2020 and the years before. They should have ensured their organisations were prepared for such emergencies (after all, that's what they're for). It was no wonder a few spivs cornered the market in vital supplies.
As I said in another thread, the NHS needs radical reform (or better still, properly managed abandonment) but that won't happen whoever is in government.
Anybody not knowing that was asleep for three years.
Similarly, anybody not knowing that the NHS is hopelessly inefficient and wasteful in just about everything it does is not keeping up (and hasn't been for the last fifty years).
Politicians are not best placed to run vital services and the people who are paid to do so (in this case the highly paid executives of the multitude of trusts and other organisations which make up the NHS) are usually peripatetic jobbing executives with no particularly health-orientated skills. For evidence of this look no further than Tony Chambers, Chief Executive of Countess of Chester NHS Trust when nurse Lucy Letby came under suspicion of harming children in her care. He is now on his third job since leaving Chester after refusing to call in the police when senior doctors voiced their concerns over nurse Letby.
The people to blame for the appalling lack of readiness of the NHS to deal with a pandemic are the people who ran these organisations in 2020 and the years before. They should have ensured their organisations were prepared for such emergencies (after all, that's what they're for). It was no wonder a few spivs cornered the market in vital supplies.
As I said in another thread, the NHS needs radical reform (or better still, properly managed abandonment) but that won't happen whoever is in government.
well I can't find it, can you post it on here:
https:/
https:/
Hi me,
I worked with ventilators for erm..... sisnce oo 1979
Do you remember the Cape Wain? - that had the dial reading in kg-f / in2 - kilogram-force per squinch - - - no unit know to man. Kg are mass and it should be dynes or newtons. ho hum. and cm2 or kg2
but we progress
The EMTs ( ambulance men) used to have peumovite - just a valve that blew off at 20 cms water, and that worked quite well. That was designed by John Robinson, and I of all asked was the only one who submitted data. At a resusc, you had to turn the machine on, on arrival and I was the only one who did.
There was no resusc ( on the data I supplied) that exceed airway pressure of 20 cms water, who amazed everyone. very simple design to repeat that. ( design a valve that blows off at 20 cm water and flips at 5)
this wont last - too long, hi andY and un-mimsy hi the other one
I worked with ventilators for erm..... sisnce oo 1979
Do you remember the Cape Wain? - that had the dial reading in kg-f / in2 - kilogram-force per squinch - - - no unit know to man. Kg are mass and it should be dynes or newtons. ho hum. and cm2 or kg2
but we progress
The EMTs ( ambulance men) used to have peumovite - just a valve that blew off at 20 cms water, and that worked quite well. That was designed by John Robinson, and I of all asked was the only one who submitted data. At a resusc, you had to turn the machine on, on arrival and I was the only one who did.
There was no resusc ( on the data I supplied) that exceed airway pressure of 20 cms water, who amazed everyone. very simple design to repeat that. ( design a valve that blows off at 20 cm water and flips at 5)
this wont last - too long, hi andY and un-mimsy hi the other one
Anybody not knowing that was asleep for three years.
erm, I think they will get off on, best evidence at the time.
The best evidence of the last pandemic was - ventilate them until they get better, hence Nightingale Hospitals.
as I said to my nephew: ( immunosuppressed) if you get to ITU ( ventilator room ) you still have an 80% of dying. and he said I am there....
we always fight the last epidemic ( fight the previous war, geddit) which makes planning pretty stupid - only me only me
erm, I think they will get off on, best evidence at the time.
The best evidence of the last pandemic was - ventilate them until they get better, hence Nightingale Hospitals.
as I said to my nephew: ( immunosuppressed) if you get to ITU ( ventilator room ) you still have an 80% of dying. and he said I am there....
we always fight the last epidemic ( fight the previous war, geddit) which makes planning pretty stupid - only me only me
Chester after refusing to call in the police when senior doctors voiced their concerns over nurse Letby.
med dr and admin fighting back - Times yesterday
Dear reader remember the case was a case against Letby, NOT a hospital inquiry
Med Dr. - the answers werent what happened. ( oo-er Med director). Remeber dear reader I accused mine of perjury. Nothing happened.
"the paeds came to me ," said the ex Director from France" with - feely this and feely that. The C peptide levels were missed ( insulin from outside)and only noticed later, as hard evidence"
oo-er doctor ! - Dr Rowe got fired when he did that ( miss C pep) over Beverley Allitt
med dr and admin fighting back - Times yesterday
Dear reader remember the case was a case against Letby, NOT a hospital inquiry
Med Dr. - the answers werent what happened. ( oo-er Med director). Remeber dear reader I accused mine of perjury. Nothing happened.
"the paeds came to me ," said the ex Director from France" with - feely this and feely that. The C peptide levels were missed ( insulin from outside)and only noticed later, as hard evidence"
oo-er doctor ! - Dr Rowe got fired when he did that ( miss C pep) over Beverley Allitt
The Government were enthralled to the Communists in SAGE that only wanted to see how far they could push social behaviour.
Well we found out, and are now paying the price dearly.
//If you did not know that the incompetent government was wasting tax-payer money (big-time) on medical equipment during the pandemic, you do now.//
And you think labour would have done any different, if anything they were pressing for more lockdowns more PPE etc.
I do agree with you that it all should be looked at but making crass sweeping statements really doesnt help get to the root of the problem. Which in my humble opinion is not with Government (or opposition) as they were, and are, not qualified to know and must rely on so called 'experts'.
Well we found out, and are now paying the price dearly.
//If you did not know that the incompetent government was wasting tax-payer money (big-time) on medical equipment during the pandemic, you do now.//
And you think labour would have done any different, if anything they were pressing for more lockdowns more PPE etc.
I do agree with you that it all should be looked at but making crass sweeping statements really doesnt help get to the root of the problem. Which in my humble opinion is not with Government (or opposition) as they were, and are, not qualified to know and must rely on so called 'experts'.
1 to 20 of 20
Latest Posts
Food & Drink3 mins ago
ChatterBank5 mins ago
Quizzes & Puzzles7 mins ago
Home & Garden11 mins ago
Quizzes & Puzzles12 mins ago
Related Questions
Sorry, we can't find any related questions. Try using the search bar at the top of the page to search for some keywords, or choose a topic and submit your own question.