UK wasted £9.9 billion on Covid PPE, finds inquiry; stockpile, procurement flaws flagged

Inquiry find lapses in Covid PPE kits procurementNearly £9.9 billion worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) bought during the Covid-19 pandemic was wasted in the UK, a public inquiry has found. It concluded that the country entered the health crisis with inadequate stockpiles and an emergency procurement system that was ill-prepared for the surge in demand.In a report released on Tuesday, inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett said the UK and devolved governments spent £14.9 billion on PPE during the pandemic, with around two-thirds of that expenditure ultimately written off as unused or expired equipment, as reported by BBC.UK began the pandemic with its PPE stockpile in a "perilous state" and was "simply not ready to compete" in the global race to secure masks, gowns and gloves as