The HSE says 20 per cent of personal protective equipment that's arrived in Ireland so far is NOT suitable for general healthcare use.
Millions of euro worth of PPE has already been flown here from China for use by medical staff.
The equipment, made up mostly of masks, represents 20 percent of the PPE that has so far arrived in Ireland.
After inspection, 65 percent of the overall delivery was found to meet standards while a further 15 percent can be used, but isn't of the quality expected.
It insists some of the equipment could be used for other purposes, such as in isolation facilities.
CEO Paul Reid says they've tried to make sure this doesn't happen again:
