Critical materials in crisis

Critical materials in crisis The supply of critical materials such as face masks, ventilators and testing was (and remains) crucial during the pandemic. The presence of these critical materials (timeliness, quality and quantity) turned out to be a bottleneck for healthcare capacity. Different countries have dealt with this differently and are now using different strategies for the 2nd wave and a new pandemic. Examples include building a national manufacturing industry and building up iron stocks. The aim of this research is to learn from an international comparison of the different strategies in the Covid-19 crisis. The Dutch approach to material supply is compared with that of 23 other countries. Within the Netherlands, this happens at a national level, but also in various institutions in the cure (hospitals) and care (including nursing homes) sector. The results are expected at the end of 2021.