Coronavirus: China Red Cross under fire over poor distribution of masks, medical supplies
- The government is under growing pressure to relax restrictions on donations of masks and other items
- Beijing has ordered donations to be funnelled to five government-backed charity organisations while Hubei province remains under lockdown
The hashtag “Red Cross” has become the most searched topic on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, with many asking: “Why are doctors still without protective gear after so many donations? Is [provincial capital] Wuhan a black hole?”
The government is under growing pressure to relax restrictions on public donations. On Wednesday, China’s civil affairs ministry announced that all public donations to Hubei had to be funnelled through five government-backed charity organisations, while Wuhan remained under lockdown with thousands of people infected by the deadly coronavirus.
The organisations are the Red Cross Society of Hubei, Hubei Charity General Association, their branches in Wuhan, and the Hubei Teenagers Development Foundation, which is affiliated with the Communist Party Youth League.
On social media people questioned why medical staff in the province were still facing a shortage of protective gear, despite donated items pouring in from other parts of China and overseas.
The desperate situation faced by doctors and nurses in Hubei became known to the Chinese public after hospitals bypassed the designated charity organisations and posted online appeals for donations for N95 masks, goggles, protective suits and gloves.