Hungarian government fights the second wave of COVID-19 with mindless spending

The Hungarian government keeps spending way more money than necessary on medical equipment in the name of preparing for the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. They keep buying ridiculously overpriced items when the market has way better and cheaper options available.

Ridiculously overpriced mask sewing machines

The government purchased mask sewing machines from China for 600,000 euros, Telex reports. However, members of the opposition claim that there are similar sewing machines on the market for just a fraction of this price.

For example, Ákos Hadházy, an independent Member of Parliament, found a very similar sewing machine online for just 60,000 euros, and someone from retail also told him about a machine that can sew 100 masks in a minute and costs around 63,000 euros. Even if we add the shipping, customs, and tax charges, it still totals in way less than what the government paid. György Babosi from Momentum claims the same. Babosi owns a company selling medical machines, and he could have got mask sewing machines capable of producing 1 million masks a month for 140,000 euros + shipping and customs.

1.6 million euros for thermometers that do not work

The government also spent 1.6 million euros on 41,000 thermometers (approximately 39-40 euros per piece) which they distributed among schools, Népszava reports. These thermometers proved to be untrustworthy, as they often indicate irrelevant, much-too-low temperatures. Similar thermometers are available online for 28-221 euros per piece. The National Healthcare Service Centre also orders disinfectants for educational institutions for 1.6 million euros monthly.

Excess ventilator shopping

For whatever reason, the government keeps buying ventilators, even though there are more than necessary available already, 444 reports. A tender has been drawn by the National Directorate General for Disaster Management, which belongs to the Ministry of the Interior, for 465 ventilators when there are currently 20,000 ventilators available in Hungary thanks to an over-purchase of HUF 300 billion (EUR 835 million).

Source: www.telex.hu; www.nepszava.hu; www.444.hu