Cambodia gets $1.6M for Covid-19 response from German gov’t

IN light of Cambodia confirming 91 Covid-19 cases, Germany announced on Tuesday that it will provide € 1.5 million ($1,618,000) to help support the Covid-19 Emergency Response Plan in the Kingdom.

In a press release on Tuesday, the German Embassy said: “As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Kingdom increases, Germany pledges $1.6 million to support the Covid-19 Emergency Response Plan of the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

“The Plan aims to prevent, detect and respond to the rapid global spread of Covid19 in the country.”

The German Embassy said Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) is currently the only laboratory test centre for the new coronavirus, also called Sars CoV-2.

“The additional German government funds are earmarked for the Institut Pasteur to develop more testing capacity within the country.

“We will cooperate with the National Institute of Public Health to ensure that the country is prepared for the upcoming challenges for virus testing and further diagnostics,” it said.

German Ambassador to Cambodia Christian Berger said Germany was Cambodia’s longstanding development partner and has contributed to its healthcare sector since 2003.

“For a good containment strategy, it is crucial to have good capacities for virus testing in place,” he said.

The German Embassy added that the Covid-19 Emergency Response Plan was under the authority of the Ministry of Health.

The support of development partners like Germany is coordinated through the World Health Organisation (WHO) and includes contributions from the World Bank and other development partners.