The finding is included in a review of 1,361 suppliers to the NHS, conducted by the Department of Health and Social Care, following a government commitment to eradicate modern slavery from the healthcare system.
The review highlighted specific areas of concern, including conditions in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, and noted that an estimated 100,000 Uyghurs and other ethnic minority ex-detainees in China may be working in conditions of forced labour.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Over a fifth of NHS suppliers providing items including surgical instruments, gloves, gowns and face masks are at “high risk” of using modern slavery, according to a government review.
The finding is included in a review of 1,361 suppliers to the NHS, conducted by the Department of Health and Social Care, following a government commitment to eradicate modern slavery from the healthcare system.
Sian Lea, business and human rights manager at the charity Anti-Slavery International, said the analysis showed the NHS had a high reliance on high-risk suppliers and was potentially exposed to state-imposed forced labour such as in the Uyghur region and Turkmenistan.
“Looking beyond just government procurement, we also need trade mechanisms that stop products made with forced labour at the UK border which would have a strong and swift impact in achieving cleaner supply chains.”
Unison’s assistant general secretary, Jon Richards, said: “NHS staff will be appalled they’re using protective clothing and equipment made by people at risk of modern slavery or human trafficking.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to eradicating modern slavery and ensuring the NHS follows the highest legal and ethical standards in procurement.
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