(JNS) Yaakov Lappin - In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Defense Ministry's Directorate of Production and Procurement (DOPP), which usually deals with the acquisition and maintenance of military equipment, suddenly changed course. In less than four weeks, after launching a series of massive operations spanning the globe, the DOPP has transformed the readiness of the Israeli health-care system for dealing with the pandemic. DOPP head Avi Dadon said the unit dealt with setting up hotel recovery centers for Covid-19 patients in good condition, and in getting medical equipment to the Israeli health-care system - and fast. This included personal protection equipment (PPE), ventilators, and testing swabs and reagents. Later, a request came in from the Health Ministry to stop the imports, as stockpiles were overflowing. For the first time in its history, the DOPP faced the reality of tenders canceled at the last minute with orders for millions of N95 masks sold to others. "My lesson was that we have to rely on ourselves and produce here," said Dadon. The DOPP reached an agreement with Sion Medical in Sderot to begin mass production of PPE in Israel as part of a wider strategic shift to medical self-sufficiency. It will be producing a million N95 masks per month by the end of May. Moreover, Dadon estimates that Israel will soon be making 500 ventilators per week and "we have to start thinking about where the excess production will go."
2020-04-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive