Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Canadian companies have answered the federal government’s call to abandon business as usual and start making face masks, ventilators and gloves.
A handful of those companies are in the Maritimes, but according to Nova Scotia’s life and health sciences industry group, BioNova, some of them were not prepared for the strict federal guidelines that come into play when making medical gear.
Anyone who wants to sell or provide PPE to a medical facility must be authorized by Health Canada, which also lays out the materials, testing, and production requirements for each item.
“It’s great that these companies are stepping forward, but there are a lot of regulatory hurdles that need to be overcome,” explained BioNova CEO executive director Scott Moffitt.
