Cristina Hodgson
A DOCTOR has been caught red-handed nicking 13 boxes of clinical face masks, amid fears over the spread of coronavirus.
The man was found with the supplies in the warehouse of Malaga’s Hospital Clinico and argued he planned to ‘take them to his village’.
As the COVID-19 virus has now reached Andalucia, the masks, which help avoid the possible contagion of diseases, are in high demand.
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The hospital has now opened an administrative information file on the Traumatology unit doctor, citing his ‘inappropriate subtraction of the material’.
The case has now been put in the hands of the legal services and the hospital has opened an internal investigation, which will most likely result in a sanction.
Once the case is clarified internally, the hospital will transfer the incident to the Andalucian Health Service.
Alarm generated by the coronavirus has run rife across Spain, leading to pharmacies in Malaga and other areas to run out of biological filter masks.
It’s estimated that, on average, pharmacies in Spain would have sold up to 2,000 masks each in the barely four weeks since the first cases of the virus were known.
The situation which has caused a ‘depletion in stock,’ according to Diego Rodriguez, president of the College of Pharmacists of Malaga.
The province of Malaga to date has not registered any cases of coronavirus.
The last three patients who were isolated have tested negative.
The Valencian Community has confirmed a second infected patient, bringing the number of new infections in Spain to 12.
So far there have been 82,221 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, resulting in 2,807 deaths.
Meanwhile, 32,915 patients have reportedly recovered.
