Guyana to benefit from new Canadian aid to PAHO for COVID fight
Canada yesterday announced it would contribute CAN$1,200,000 (approximately USD$950,000) to support the efforts of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) against COVID-19 in six Caribbean countries including Guyana.
A release yesterday from PAHO said that several countries in the Caribbean are reporting a rise in COVID-related deaths – including a doubling of COVID19 deaths in some places.
PAHO said that the donation by the Canadian government will be used to procure essential personal protection equipment, laboratory and medical equipment, as well as supplies to be used by health care workers and hospitals in The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, as part of PAHO’s technical cooperation in the fight against the pandemic.
“The pandemic is putting health care workers and systems of the countries in the Caribbean under great strain, which is why we are grateful to the Government of Canada for supporting COVID-19 treatment for countries in the Caribbean that are struggling due to the pandemic. Their contribution will help save lives and shows how we can all join forces in solidarity to defeat this virus,” said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne.
This contribution is part of a five-year subregional programme between PAHO and Canada, which aims to lessen the heath consequence of emergencies and disasters in the Caribbean, through better preparedness and a more resilient health sector.
The release said that for over 30 years, Canada has supported PAHO’s efforts to improve emergency preparedness, mitigation and response across Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Canada has donated over USD$8 million to support PAHO’s technical cooperation to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas, the release added.
Canada’s Acting Senior Director for the Caribbean Regional Development Programme, Jennifer Heys, said: “Even one year later, COVID-19 continues to challenge health systems across the Caribbean, and we continue to see the stark health and socioeconomic impacts this crisis is having on the Caribbean people. Canada is proud to partner with PAHO once again to provide additional much-needed medical equipment, supplies, and training to support the Caribbean countries that are facing the greatest health sector crisis from COVID-19.”