Aggressive price competition in military medical tenders has raised serious safety concerns after laboratory tests found that low-cost chest-seal dressings supplied to the Polish Armed Forces do not meet sterility standards, according to Bankier.pl.
A Chinese supplier, working through the firm Emsrun Group, offered the specialised battlefield wound dressings at 15 to 17 złoty per unit – roughly half the previous market benchmark of around 35 złoty. Since the start of 2025, more than 22,000 of the Chinese-made dressings have been included in military procurement tenders, the news outlet Onet calculated.
The products were distributed to numerous Polish military installations, including the 22nd Tactical Aviation Base in Malbork, the 41st Training Aviation Base in Dęblin, the Naval Port Command in Świnoujście and several other logistics units across the country.
Sterility failure detected in lab tests
Independent analysis by the European Biomedical Institute in December 2025 confirmed that samples of the imported dressings failed sterility tests. Chest-seal bandages are used to treat penetrating chest wounds in combat and must be sterile; contamination can lead to complications such as sepsis in battlefield conditions.
In response to the findings, Poland’s Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products (URPL) withdrew one batch – number 20250923 – from circulation in March 2026. However, the regulator did not order inspections or a recall of other batches, citing a lack of formal obligation to carry out such preventive checks, according to Bankier.pl.
Tenders cancelled, details withheld
The Military Centre for Pharmacy and Medical Technology (WOFiTM) moved to cancel two ongoing procurement procedures after journalists from Onet raised questions. The centre stated that the withdrawn batch had not been issued to troops.
The Ministry of National Defence declined to disclose the total volume of Chinese dressings purchased, invoking operational security concerns. The exact number of potentially non-sterile units still held in military stockpiles remains unknown.
The episode has highlighted weaknesses in the public tender system for defence supplies, where lowest-price criteria often take precedence over rigorous quality verification. Budget pressures appear to have opened the door to cut-price imports that bypass the usual safety safeguards.
What this means for Poles in Poland
The issue underscores broader concerns about oversight in defence procurement and the reliance on the cheapest bid without sufficient quality assurance. For Polish citizens, especially those with family members serving in the armed forces, the revelations raise questions about the safety and readiness of military medical supplies.
While the Ministry of Defence and WOFiTM have moved to cancel new tenders, thousands of untested dressings may remain in circulation. There has been no announcement of a comprehensive audit or recall of all suspect batches. Families of servicemen and women may wish to follow updates from the Ministry of National Defence and the URPL for further information on product recalls and safety measures.
The case also illustrates the risks of prioritising cost savings in sensitive areas such as military medicine. Public procurement rules in Poland are governed by the Public Procurement Law, which allows contracting authorities to evaluate tenders on price alone – a practice that can leave quality control gaps when dealing with critical medical equipment.
