Statement attributable to:
Patrice A. Harris M.D., M.A.
President, American Medical Association
“Physicians and front-line health care workers across the country are pleading for more personal protective equipment (PPE), doing everything they can to raise awareness of this crisis. Those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic are concerned that the lack of adequate PPE endangers not only themselves, but their patients and families as well.
“It is vital that our health care workforce is equipped with a sufficient supply of personal protective equipment, including using their own PPE in order to protect themselves and their patients when no other PPE is available.
“At this critical moment, a unified effort is urgently needed to identify gaps in the supply of and lack of access to PPE necessary to fight COVID-19. The AMA continues to urge the Administration to ensure manufacturing of PPE is operating at maximum possible capacity and create a national tracking system of acquisition and distribution of critical PPE supplies. Federal coordination is necessary to ensure adequate supply and will limit situations where states compete against each other at inflated prices for limited essential supplies.
“Physicians stand ready to provide urgent medical care on the front lines in a pandemic crisis. But their need for protective gear is equally urgent and necessary.”
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
