Demands for medical supplies in Hubei 'have been satisfied'

The shortage of protective suits has been one of the greatest concerns amid the epidemic.

Cao Xuejun, deputy director of the ministry's consumer products industry department, said manufacturers' capacities and production volumes of protective suits have increased rapidly.

"Each day, we were able to send as many as 250,000 protective suits to Hubei, exceeding regional demands for over a dozen days," she said.

"However, since the disease control work in China is still in a strenuous period, we should not relax production."

She added that the ministry will guide protective suit makers to heed developments in the epidemic and adjust production based on demand.

"We also encourage domestic companies to actively catch up with orders from overseas, export their goods in accordance with relevant regulations and make contributions to the global fight against the virus," she said.

To ensure sufficient supplies of ECMO, a lifesaving machine that provides heart-lung bypass support outside the body for critical cases, China has delivered 67 of the machines to Hubei, where the majority of severely-ill patients are concentrated.

Luo said that within 15 hours, 16 ECMO machines made in Germany had arrived in Wuhan, Hubei province.

In addition, medical assistance teams dispatched to Hubei had also been asked to bring ECMO machines and other essential devices with them.

"We are closely monitoring the use of ECMO and will further strengthen global procurement and domestic coordination to maintain the supply," he added.

Mao from the National Health Commission said although each provincial-level region in China has been affected by the virus, they have not hesitated to lend a helping hand and have prioritized the demand of front-line workers in Wuhan.

He added that the commission is working on establishing a long-term mechanism to secure sufficient medical supplies and stockpiles during an emergency.

Cheng Si contributed to this story.