The United States of America has donated new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) equipment to support the Maldives Covid-19 response efforts, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The donation was handed over by Ambassador of the U.S. to Maldives, Alaina B. Teplitz during a ceremony on Thursday.
The donation is for the Ministry of Health and Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and will help hospitals care for Covid-19 patients as well as other respiratory diseases.
The donation includes 40 oxygen concentrators and is worth USD 165,000, sources report.
The timely consignment of new ICU equipment by the government of America will enhance the services being provided for Covid-19 treatment and aids medical workers and first responders by providing a portable source of therapeutic oxygen that can be used with ventilators donated by the U.S. earlier.
Taking to Twitter following the handover ceremony, Ambassador Teplitz stated that America is proud to have supported Maldives pandemic response with the donation and revealed that the donation will help medical workers and first responders to save lives.
Once more, the United Stated is finding ways to support Maldivian health care workers in their fight against Covid-19 to safeguard the health of Maldivians. This donation builds on the broader U.S. effort to strengthen the Maldivian health system.Alaina Teplitz, U.S. Ambassador to Maldives
The country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid said that such continuous support "plays a critical part in Maldives resiliency and recovery efforts".
Further, the High Commissioner of Maldives to Sri Lanka Omar Abdul Razzaq stated that it is a privilege to receive the generous donation once again, to bolster efforts against the pandemic.
He stated that the government deeply appreciates the assistance in a “progressively continuous manner”, by the government of America which mirrors the “robust” friendship for greater Indo Pacific safety and security.
In September, U.S. also donated 60 portable critical care ventilators to the Maldives, to be dispersed to hospitals across 20 atolls through the health ministry.
U.S. has been one of the most generous contributors to support the island nation’s Covid-19 response efforts, having contributed over USD four million since the pandemic surfaced in the Maldives. This contribution includes a grant aid of USD two million, several donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), PCR machine and related equipment and donations through other multilateral agencies.
