Critical stock
ADB, UNICEF give $1.59m worth of medical supplies
URGENT medical supplies and 9450 diagnostic testing kits were supplied by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to support Fiji in the ongoing COVID-19 effortS.
A joint statement by the ADB and UNICEF said the medical supplies, worth $1.59 million, were co-financed while the ADB funded 9450 testing cartridges and swabs worth $415,065 and were procured by UNICEF and transported by the World Food Programme (WFP).
Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete thanked ADB and UNICEF for the tremendous support towards the response effort for this second wave of COVID-19 cases.
“The generous donation is timely and will greatly assist our frontliners and health institutions to safely and effectively deliver the public health response that is needed to identify and interrupt the transmission of the virus in our communities, and to nurse the positive cases, which includes children, back to recovery,” he said.
The medical supplies include about 308,000 medical grade masks, 15,000 N95 respirators, 47,000 gowns, two million gloves, 23,000 face shields, biohazard bags, and other essential items.
Diagnostic equipment including GeneXpert testing cartridges and swabs will be used to help the Government detect cases of COVID-19.
ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office regional director Masayuki Tachiiri said this was an important part of ADB’s support package, which includes financial support for the COVID-19 response budget, liquidity support for Fiji Airways, and various technical assistance.
UNICEF Pacific representative Sheldon Yett thanked the Government for their leadership in combatting the virus pandemic, ADB for their partnership and WFP for their assistance in helping to transport the supplies.