Optinova is helping ÅHS and TYKS with PPE, the first deliveries have arrived in Åland

Photo by Jonas Edsvik/ Nya Åland

When the Coronavirus pandemic started, there was an acute shortage of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for front-line health workers across healthcare systems in the world. ÅHS (Åland Hospital and Healthcare) was quick to reach out to Optinova for assistance in acquiring the equipment. Although they had sufficient supplies at the time, they would like to be proactive and prepared if the situation worsens.

Today, 30,000 face shields have arrived in Åland from China. In addition, various sample face masks have been sent to VTT for quality check before 120,000 of them are widely distributed. We have secured the procurement of N-95 face masks, yet they will not be shipped until the authority has approved its quality for use in hospitals and health centers. First, we test, then we deliver. These masks are to be distributed to ÅHS and TYKS in Turku. There will also be 22 intensive care monitors to Åland which will be used to monitor seriously ill patients at ÅHS. They are expected to arrive by the end of the week.

“We are very grateful that Optinova has stepped up to help us with this preparation, their contacts in China and genuine intention have really made a big difference to not only safeguarding the health of our staff, but also the patients. Now, we are in an even better shape if the situation worsens, which, of course, we hope will not be the case”, says Jeanette Pajunen, Health and Medical Director of ÅHS.

“I am impressed with how early ÅHS asked for support and proactively thought of the worst-case scenario. They also acted quickly to make the decision to enable this. This is a great example on how to act in a crisis. As a result, they are now receiving extra supplies of equipment that is scarce across the world. Although there was an initial shortage at first, sufficient supplies of PPE are now available to them in a unique way. We want to help where we can, that is the essence of the #feelgoodfactory.”, says Anders Wiklund, CEO.

Optinova has been able to do this thanks to our 20+ years of experience in China, the major suppliers of PPE are also long-term customers of Optinova’s. The long business relationships between Optinova and the Chinese partners have been crucial to make this happen.

Please read our press release for more details