IMechE donates 1,500 face masks to Royal Papworth Hospital

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has donated 1,500 face masks, sent to the UK by one of our senior Fellows in Hong Kong, to the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge to help protect NHS staff in the coronavirus pandemic.

The face masks were part of a consignment of 2,000 masks given to the Institution by Otto Poon, one of our longest-standing members in Hong Kong. The Royal Papworth Hospital is the UK’s leading heart and lung hospital.

Turning Point, a charity which offers health and wellbeing services, received 200 masks and the remaining 300 will be given to good causes as requested.

“Whoever might believe that there is no such thing as society, needs to meet with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and see this very generous gift from one of our Fellows,” said the Institution’s Chief Executive, Colin Brown.

“As mechanical engineers we can see the value of an effective facial barrier in restricting transmission of the virus.  They will hopefully form part of a plan to control infection as we ease the lockdown in the coming months.”

Our members are involved in the national response to COVID-19 at many levels, from designing ventilators to working on infection control in buildings and public spaces.

We have over 3,000 members in our Biomedical Engineering Division, many of whom are playing vital roles working to support the NHS to cope with the COVID 19 crisis which has claimed thousands of lives in the UK.

The donation from Hong Kong arrived as the UK faces a continuing shortage of PPE equipment including face masks, visors and gowns. The Government has called for industrial manufacturers to switch production to making PPE equipment and has also looked to imports to meet the shortfall.

Notes to Editors

• Contact the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Press Office on +44 (0) 7713565683 or email media@imeche.org
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 120,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries.