UNIDO Launches Roadmap for Improving PPE in Egypt

UNIDO launched a roadmap for improving the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Egypt.

The roadmap attempts to provide a roadmap for Egypt to enhance its PPE supply chain of personal protective equipment to face shortage-related challenges and to enhance its capacity to capitalize on the rising global demand.

The coronavirus has put great pressure on Egypt's healthcare system due to the increasing demand for PPE products for the pandemic.

The roadmap was written through in-depth participation and consultation with various stakeholders. The study was developed with the support of IMC of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

UNIDO roadmap reveals 6 pillars to develop PPE in Egypt:

1) Raising public awareness of the importance of PPE in containing COVID-19.

2) Investing in spun-melt technology.

3) Strengthening audit and regulatory bodies.

4) Providing business development services to PPE sector.

5) Increasing the supply of PPE by introducing Public-Private partnerships.

6) Repurposing manufacturing facilities as a temporary measure to produce PPE.

The unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 has resulted in a significant increase on the personal protective equipment (PPE). This has essentially posed a threat to health

care systems and has critically threatened the public health and safety of populations.

Whatever regulations governing the PPE industry fell to pieces with Covid-19, and what used to be a commodity produced for health workers became in huge demand for citizens

globally.

Globally, PPE manufacturers were on the one hand striving to cope with the new production demand, while other medical non-PPE manufacturers began planning on adding new PPE production lines or on building new PPE factories so as to reserve a share

in the market.

Hospitals or demand agents on the other hand resorted to procuring PPE from new manufacturers with manufacturing specifications that are often lower than

what they commonly adhere to.

The pandemic has forced many countries to rethink their PPE supply chains, and Egypt is in need and has the potential to do the same. On that basis, this study attempts to provide

a roadmap for Egypt to enhance its PPE supply chain. The study conducted 10 In-depth interviews (IDIs) with representatives from the medical, pharmaceutical and PPE sectors.

In addition to another 5 IDIs with different stakeholders including: the Ministry of Health, large private hospitals and the medical export council.

Results show that by investing in the technology and equipment needed to produce the medical raw material needed for PPE production using a technology called “spun-melt”, Egypt would have an opportunity to become one of the major global market players in the PPE industry.