Frontliners Get 2.7m Masks

The Ministry of Health will be receiving 2.7 million KN95 respirator face masks next month from Australia.

Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services Doctor James Fong said the masks would assist Fiji’s frontliners.

This is possible through a collaborative effort between the Reach for Your Future Foundation’s (R4YFF), Medical Pantry, Fiji’s High Commission in Canberra and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia.

“The masks will be useful for people in the frontline dealing with positive cases and these KN95 masks are advanced,” Dr Fong said.

“They will be used in places with a high collection of positive cases in contained areas like isolation facilities.”

Reach for Your Future Foundation’s (R4YFF) Fiji chapter president, Lanoma Singh said the commitment to support and protect all Fijians remained strong.

“This is the second donation towards Fiji’s fight in battling the global COVID-19 pandemic which has an estimated commercial value exceeding AUD$10million with the first being medical supplies that were delivered to the Ministry of Health last month),” she said.

“These respirators will protect Fiji’s essential frontline workers while administering their duties and ensuring the Ministry of Health with a stockpile of crucial Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s.

“DFAT Australia’s strategic partnership will provide vital assistance in the shipment of five 40 foot container load supplies to Fiji.”

Ms Singh said the Foundation’s founder Ganesh Sen of Melbourne was instrumental in pushing for the obtaining of the masks through various strategic partners and donors through Medical Pantry, a Melbourne-based non-profit organization.

“Keeping a nation’s frontline workers safe during and after COVID-19 is a route to the nation’s rebuilding and recovery programme. Collaborations such as these are crucial in navigating the progression. We are grateful and appreciative of the unwavering support of our strategic partners,” she said.