Finland is sitting, a report by the New York Times, according to a gigantic stockpile of personal protective equipment for the case of a crisis. Not only masks, gloves and protective suits are mass imprisonment in the Camps the National emergency supply Agency (NESA). Also grain, fuel and other raw materials are hoarded by the Finns in large quantities – a gigantic national stock, the power of the country in the current fight for scarce medical resources is more or less self-sufficient.

Secret masks-stock to be across the country

“prepare For an emergency, is in the DNA of the Finns”, says Tomi Lounema, the chief of the National emergency supply authority in relation to the “New York Times”. The authority is responsible for the state procurement, storage and management of inventories, “which are intended to ensure in the event of a crisis, the Survival of the people and the continued existence of the industrial production”. How many masks and other medical goods in Finland has exactly the authority is silent. “All the information our stock centres are subject to confidentiality”, so Lounema more. The authority had a “network of appropriate care facilities” across the country, this was not so since the 50s. The Coronavirus-reporting of FOCUS Online on Facebook

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The established Stocking strategy to the Finns, especially historically. For more than 40 years, Finland was, as a direct neighbour of the Soviet Union, a potential first target of attack in the Cold war. In addition, the Scandinavian state has different than, for example, Sweden and Denmark, with no direct access to the North sea and thus to the open sea – a weakness that the country could be in the case of conflict of international trade routes cut off. This case has never occurred, and so camped in the secret Finnish emergency Depots for decades gigantic inventories – mothballed and unused.

masks are old, but serve their purpose

That all changed two weeks ago. As well as in Finland, the number of COVID-19 Patients in the amount surged, the health Ministry, the Order, the stored masks across the country to hospitals and clinics spend. The masks were old, but would still fulfill their purpose, so Lounema. Reports of shortages of protective equipment in the healthcare sector in Finland. The health care in the Scandinavian countries is considered to be one of the best in the world. FOCUS-Online-action #corona care: Germany helps!

The Corona-pandemic restricts the everyday life of the people in Germany. Especially for vulnerable groups such as seniors, everyday tasks are associated with a risk of infection. Therefore, now asked for solidarity! FOCUS Online has therefore launched the campaign “#corona care: Germany helps”. With you! All of the information you find here.

in Germany, Too, will be stored in a important goods for the exception cases. “In Germany, each Federal Agency per-crisis scenario is for the Notbevorratung responsible”, explains the Director of the Institute for crisis research Frank Roselieb in an interview with FOCUS Online.

Germany upstream Oil and food

the Federal Agency for agriculture and food, Germany, holding, for example, more than 150 camps with basic food such as bread, cereals, and legumes. This so-called Nutritional screening, for example, was intended for large-scale production losses due to long-term “Blackouts” of the power or radioactive contamination. “The Federal Republic has since the 1973 oil crisis, a strategic Oil reserve to 90 days,” said rose, loving more. The appropriate Federal Agency for pandemic protective equipment, it will not give in this country, however. The world is better than your bad news – FOCUS Online provides you every Friday with the best stories from the field perspectives. Subscribe here for free Newsletter:

This failure takes revenge straight – not only in Germany. Because the manufacturing of medical goods for decades, been outsourced to the far East, and the domestic reserves are running out, must get the Bulk of the Corona, the States concerned, in breathing masks and protective clothing on the world market; and is currently fought hard. Again and again there are reports that States other countries ordered protective’re gonna buy material for more times the price in front of the nose – most recently last week, as one of the Berlin police ordered delivery of 200,000 respirators at the airport of Bangkok simply disappeared.

“Need a million masks – and fast”

According to the dramatic situation in some hospitals and doctor’s practices in Germany. Although the Federal health Ministry ordered supplies of protective equipment would arrive and the physician practices are distributed, says the head of the kassenärztliche bundesvereinigung (KBV), Andreas alleys, compared to FOCUS Online. “But that’s not enough. The supplies are urgently expected. We need not billions, but millions of masks – and fast.“

The Corona-crisis Cabinet has advised on Monday about how bottlenecks in the supply of medical protection equipment fixed and in the future can be avoided. Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) penetrates as a consequence of the Corona-crisis on the structure of a German or European production of protective equipment for medical personnel. “It is important that we learn as an experience from this pandemic, that we need a certain degree of sovereignty or, at least, a pillar of the in-house production,” she said on Monday in Berlin.

shopping from multiple sources

to sort The logistics chains and to set out in the purchasing and stocking of system – relevant goods increasingly on so – called “Multiple Sourcing” – so the shopping from several local sources, is a way to reduce shortages in hospitals, clinics and medical practices in the future. “Prospects” in FOCUS Online

FOCUS Online, we see not only problems but also solutions. We do not hide what is bad – but we also show what is done, and how each Individual can make a contribution. We give people and ideas that contribute to addressing the individual and societal challenges. To tell these particular stories, we have formed the K-Team. K is a Constructive one. All the items of the K-team can be found under the heading “perspectives”.

at the same time, Frank Roselieb, according to, to act in the event of a looming crisis earlier. “Creeping crisis, cases such as the Corona of a pandemic have a good time and to terminate the often ‘weak signals’.” Already in December 2019, the world was informed by health organisation, about what today is called the “Corona”. “At the latest at the beginning of January 2020, the Federal government also knew it and would have been able to make preparations,” the crisis researchers. Also, the early stocking up with medical protective equipment to be one of you.

global supply chains are vulnerable at times of crisis

In Finland, such stocks have for decades been part of a comprehensive disaster and pandemic preparedness. While neighbouring countries such as Sweden or Denmark, emptied their warehouse with goods for the event of a crisis after the end of the Cold war, and wanted to be prepared for the Finns with the removal of a concrete danger of war remains and held their own “Prepper” strategy. Now it pays off.

Even if it is Finland, with only about 5.5 million inhabitants, compared with other States easily, medical protective equipment in sufficient number to store and activate in the event of a Pandemic quickly, shows the view to the North, that States compulsory crisis-prone global supply chains need to deliver.

Domestic production alone is not enough

to be Safe: The domestic system of production-relevant goods and medical equipment is a core competence in the event of a Pandemic, even if it is more expensive than in the far East. However, even if masks and protective suits are produced in front of the house door, not sure that you are in a crisis situation for millions of people immediately available. Against the Background of the dramatic situations in the German and European hospitals, it seems, therefore, for countries around the world appropriate to think about what they advise their citizens anyway for years: with enough supplies for the create.

In the FOCUS Online/Wochit In the