Switzerland (Reuters) - Love led a young Swiss doctor to emigrate to South Africa love for his disabled child brought him back to Switzerland.The know-how Stefan Metzker gained on his journey - first as a Cape Town intensive care doctor then supplying African doctors with Chinese-made surgical gear and now as a Swiss hospital CEO - prepared him to help when COVID-19 struck.Answering a call from Zurich officials desperate for face masks Metzker leveraged a Chinese business contact he had forged decades ago to secure 23 million items of medical gear.Since April passenger-turned-cargo jets belonging to Lufthansa unit Swiss Air Lines have made 15 non-stop flights from Shanghai to Zurich.The 16th and final flight with the last of what amounted to 230 tons of equipment is due later this month."I wouldn't have recommended it if I hadn't known the people in China for years through my activities in South Africa," Metzker That allowed us to secure large volumes at reasonable prices at a time when raw materials were extremely scarce."Business leaders like Apple's Tim Cook Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Salesforce's Marc Benioff have used connections or pledged personal wealth to secure medical supplies or finance coronavirus relief.The air bridge Metzker helped organise underscores how people far from the limelight have also tapped their experience to make a difference.SWITZERLAND TO SOUTH AFRICAAfter apartheid's collapse left Switzerland in 1995 for Cape Town's Tygerberg Hospital for a job treating intensive care patients.There he watched aghast as surgeons clad only in traditional cotton scrubs became soaked with blood of patients many of whom had AIDS.Since South African hospitals could not afford expensive protective clothing Metzker said he enlisted university partners in the early 2000s to develop affordable re-usable medical textiles."We developed a fabric to protect us against blood and body fluids," Metzker said I made relationships with international suppliers."In 2009 Metzker's family returned to Switzerland so his son could safely attend school in his electric wheelchair Metzker took a job as CEO of Spital Maennedorf 950-employee hospital on Lake Zurich.As COVID-19 rolled over Switzerland in February and March officials in Zurich feared a three-month protective equipment supply in the nation's emergency stockpile would not last.With nations everywhere clamoring for equipment Zurich's government pharmacy put out an all-points bulletin asking for help from anybody who could get their hands on masks gloves and scrubs.Metzker remembered his Chinese contacts and stepped forward."I thought to myself It can't be that a country like Switzerland is heading toward a disaster without the protective material we need," he said.There were challenges.A sudden change in Chinese regulations stalled one early April shipment at Shanghai customs before the Swiss consulate in China intervened to finally get the plane aloft the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.Metzker said the regional government reacted swiftly paying in advance after he reassured them the Chinese supplies would come through.Zurich officials did not release the price tag for the material but said they are satisfied they got a fair deal."In view of the dramatically worsening situation it was the right decision that saved time and money in the end," Andreas Hintermann who heads Zurich's cantonal government pharmacy Metzker was able to get in touch with reliable dealers in China and ultimately led .. He was certainly the decisive success factor."RISING PRICESZurich opted to have gear shipped directly from Shanghai Germany accused the United States of "modern piracy" in early April in a case of masks diverted from an airport in Bangkok.There was another reason for haste: Prices were rising as demand skyrocketed A surgical gown he bought for less than $2 now costs about $8 Metzker said.Metzker's hospital doubled the number of ICU beds with ventilators to 12 though they were never completely filled.Still it was "mind-blowing" just how much protective equipment was needed with doctors and nurses discarding layer after layer every shift.With Zurich-area hospitals' shelves now stocked and COVID-19 infections waning Metzker believes they are prepared should the virus flare up again which some fear as Switzerland joins other countries in gradually relaxing restrictions."We probably could even afford the luxury of shipping by sea or by train in the future," Metzker said if there is one."Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Mike Collett-White Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved One witness described seeing a naked man run around in circles as if in a trance News | World A screaming, naked man has allegedly killed a woman jogging in a park in Switzerland Passers-by reported a man began attacking multiple people at Villa Alma Park in Männedorf shortly before 8pm on Tuesday evening According to the Zurich canton police the attacker also injured another woman who suffered minor injuries A 19-year-old Swiss man was arrested by police Emergency services rushed to the scene and found a woman lying seriously injured on the ground Despite attempts to resuscitate her she died from her injuries Reports claim the perpetrator attacked the woman “loudly and completely naked” before he was caught An employee at the nearby Villa Alma retirement home told Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger they watched the scene from 150 metres away They described how a naked man ran around in circles as if in a trance and he also heard screams police and rescue workers drove up and cordoned off the area said: “There are a lot of young people out and about in this park in the evenings One witness told Swiss newspaper Blick that they saw a body “lying under golden insulation foil” A nearby resident also told the paper they saw a lifeless woman lying by the side of a lake They said: “It cannot be a swimming accident “It is a narrow spot that can only be reached via a narrow staircase.” Another resident also described seeing a “dirty blood-stained helper coming back from the shore” Police are still investigating whether the alleged attacker and victim knew each other A crime scene was still in place on Wednesday morning and a pool of blood on a path in the park had been covered with sand It is unclear how many people were in the park at the time of the attack Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer Royals watch historic flypast as huge crowds turns out for VE Day 80th anniversary  Royals watch historic Red Arrows flypast for VE Day 80th anniversary David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints Stacey Solomon 'regrets doing reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason Stacey Solomon 'regrets reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason Die Eisschwimm-Weltmeisterin aus Männedorf hat auch den prestigeträchtigen «Triple Crown»-Titel gewonnen Als zweite deutsche Frau und erste Frau aus der Schweiz stellte Kayadelen einen neuen Geschwindigkeitsrekord für Frauen beim Manhattan Swim auf Diese beeindruckende Leistung festigt ihren Platz unter den Besten des Sports und macht sie zu einer herausragenden Athletin im Freiwasserschwimmen Die Triple Crown des Freiwasserschwimmens ist eine der anspruchsvollsten Auszeichnungen in der Welt des Schwimmens und umfasst drei legendäre Strecken: die Durchquerung des Ärmelkanals zwischen England und Frankreich das Überqueren des Catalina-Kanals in Kalifornien und das Umrunden der Insel Manhattan in New York City Diese drei Strecken fordern Schwimmern extreme physische und psychische Leistungen ab von kaltem Wasser und starken Strömungen bis hin zu nächtlichem Schwimmen in haigefährdeten Gewässern Deniz Kayadelens Reise zum «Triple Crown»-Titel begann vor mehreren Jahren diese prestigeträchtige Auszeichnung zu erringen Nach der erfolgreichen Durchquerung des Ärmelkanals und des Catalina-Kanals hat sie nun mit dem Manhattan Swim den Höhepunkt ihrer Reise erreicht Die 48 Kilometer lange Strecke um die Insel Manhattan bewältigte sie in weniger als acht Stunden und schrieb damit Geschichte Diese herausragende Leistung ist ein Zeugnis ihrer jahrelangen harten Arbeit ihres unerschütterlichen Durchhaltevermögens und der Unterstützung durch ein engagiertes Team diese Reise mit einer so bedeutenden Leistung abzuschliessen» Entschlossenheit und eines unglaublichen Unterstützungsteams dass diese Leistung andere dazu inspiriert ihre eigenen Grenzen zu überschreiten und neue Ziele zu erreichen.» Dieser Artikel erschien ursprünglich in der «Zürichsee-Zeitung» Fehler gefunden?Jetzt melden.