LONDON (UK) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is all set to pump in 3 billion pounds into the National Health Service (NHS) of England to stave off resurgence of the novel coronavirus.
The UK is Europe’s worst-affected country by the pandemic and the number of fatalities is more than 45,000.
The Boris Johnson administration has come under fire for its handling of the crisis. It was blamed for being too slow to impose a lockdown and for failing to boost testing capacity quickly enough.
In the wake of the drop in infection rates, the country has lifted lockdown curbs. However, the government said it is bracing for a likely second wave in winter.
“The Prime Minister is clear that now is not the time for complacency, and we must make sure our NHS is battle ready for winter,” a spokesman said.
The government said the funding for the health system would be given soon and the use of private hospitals and temporary field hospitals would be allowed until March next year.
Funding for NHS in England is more than 115 billion pounds.
The funding is for the health service in England while the hike for the same provisions for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are to be announced later.
The UK will also enhance its testing capacity, increase its stockpile of protective gear and step up its annual flu vaccination programme.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field