The Ministry of Health on Tuesday received a donation of essential items to fight against the novel coronavirus which stemmed from a collaboration between the Government of Canada and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).
The supplies were presented to Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony by PAHO Representative, Dr Luis Codina; Canadian High Commissioner Mark Berman; and World Bank Operations Officer, Hubert Forrester.
During a handing over ceremony at the Ministry of Health’s Central Supplies Unit at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, the health minister noted that the timely donation of the items which include face masks, sanitisers, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) will be beneficial to the country’s frontline workers who continue to battle the pandemic.
He added that the supplies will be distributed to the country’s health workers to aid in the fight against the virus. According to the minister the donation came as a result of grants from the Canadian government and the World Bank. The items which were received were procured through a grant of CA$5 million from the Government of Canada.
“These grants have started working from since September last year and what we see around us today [Tuesday] represents just a small part of what we gave been able to buy with these monies,” the minister said. Further, during an update yesterday he mentioned that funds which came from a bilateral arrangement with Canada and the World Bank were managed by PAHO to be able to procure items like oxygen concentrators along with PPEs.
He also mentioned that the World Bank has indicated to the Government of Guyana that it will be providing another grant and as such negotiations will begin to ensure that it is received in a timely manner.
Additionally, PAHO Representative, Dr Codina, during the ceremony expressed gratitude to both entities for facilitating the initiative led by the organisation. High Commissioner, Berman told those present that the Government of Canada is committed to assisting other countries during the pandemic and was happy to partner with PAHO.
