HSE bought 465 ventilators from China that were never used

The HSE was under considerable pressure to procure additional ventilator supplies for Ireland at the beginning of the pandemic, when expert predictions suggested the country’s existing supplies would be wildly insufficient for managing the disease.

The HSE brought 465 ventilators into Ireland from China at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic that were never used.

An email released to the Irish Examiner by the HSE under freedom of information shows the total manifest of such devices imported from China, as of December 14 of last year, was 465 machines at a cost of €9.4m, or €20,235 per unit.