Surgeons warn thousands will die if Britain comes out of lockdown now and say Boris Johnson must not use NHS as his ‘economic punchbag’

• Professor Neil Mortensen of the Royal College of Surgeons issued the warning
• Prof Mortensen said many members are reporting shortages of PPE equipment
• Medics fear loosening the lockdown could lead to an explosion of Covid-19
• RCS members also warned there are shortages of tests for NHS staff members 
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

Top surgeons have warned thousands of people will die of Covid-19 if Britain’s strict lockdown is lifted at this stage. 

The Royal College of Surgeons has warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson against using the NHS as ‘an economic punchbag’ as he works on his plan to return Britain to normality. 

The RCS said the lockdown cannot be loosened at this stage because not enough healthcare staff are being tested and there is insufficient PPE available for frontline medics. 

The Royal College of Surgeons has warned that one third of members do not have appropriate PPE while others complain of a lack of access to Covid-19 tests  

Prof Neil Mortensen of the Royal College of Surgeons, pictured, warned that Covid-19 has not been defeated 

Professor Neil Mortensen, president-elect of the RCS told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Just because the NHS has not been overwhelmed so far, it does not mean the government can use the health service as its economic punchbag. It has been a close-run thing, and to use Boris Johnson’s own words “we have begun to wrestle it to the floor”, but the virus is certainly not yet defeated.’

A survey by the RCS has revealed one third of surgeons do not have appropriate PPE and eight out of ten members claimed only staff with ‘obvious’ coronavirus symptoms were being tested for the killer virus. 

One surgeon from the West Midlands warned: ‘There is now a push towards Covid-19 free surgical areas to recommence semi-elective work. However, it seems that patients are being tested but not staff. Asymptomatic carriers may indeed be the elephant in the room — staff would surely need testing and isolating also.’

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