The United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) have donated medical supplies worth $22 million to the government of Nigeria for the fight against the spread of Covid-19.
The medical supplies included 545 oxygen concentrators, infrared digital no-touch thermometers, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), laboratory supplies, emergency health kit, and over 100,000 test kits.
The UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, said that the essential medical supplies will enhance efforts of the frontline responders providing care and treating Covid-19 patients.
Kallon, in a statement, also said that the supplies will increase testing capacity and early detection of those affected by the virus and support the hospitalisation and management of Covid-19 cases.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chair of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 (PTF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, in receiving the donation said that the overwhelming support received from various international donors will help the country win the fight against Covid-19.
‘We will beat this virus in Nigeria, and the support we are receiving from partners such as the EU, UN and others brings us even closer to this ultimate goal’, Mustapha said.
Giving his remarks, the Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, said, ‘The alliance between Team Europe, the PTF and the UN has proven very strong.
‘This is a partnership in practice when it matters the most. Addressing the health crisis in Nigeria and getting the economic wheels turning again are key priorities for the EU while making sure that we protect the most vulnerable’.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, while thanking the EU, said, ‘We have had a series of anxieties expressed by our health workers on the lack of PPE. We have assured them that we have reserves and stocks and friends to help us’.
Sources: THISDAY and Punch Healthwise
Photo source: Governor Tom Wolf
