Health Ministry Gets Big Timely Boost From NZ
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services yesterday received the second installment of 40 AIRVO 2 machines and consumables from the New Zealand Government. This was to boost their fight against COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses within the country.
The AIRVO 2 machine is used for the treatment of spontaneously breathing patients who would benefit from receiving high-flow warmed and humidified respiratory gases.
The machines and consumables, worth $1.5 million, were handed over to the Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete by the New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji Jonathan Curr.
While receiving the machines and consumables, Dr Waqainabete said he has seen the effectiveness of such tools on patients in critical conditions at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“We have already been given 40 AIRVO 2 machines that we have been using throughout all our major hospitals across Fiji and this is another set of 40 which brings down the number to 80 AIRVO 2 machines that have been donated to us,” he said.
He said the ICU unit at the Colonial
War Memorial Hospital was observing a 70 per cent reduction in recovery items for patients receiving AIRVO treatment.
New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji Jonathan Curr said: “As a responsive development partner, New Zealand is delighted to provide Fiji with world leading respiratory equipment that will not only help treat patients with COVID-19, but also, as we are already seeing, assist medical staff in improving recovery times for other respiratory illnesses.”