USAID provides KRG with medical, laboratory supplies to fight COVID-19
In October 2020, the USAID had contributed to the opening of an isolation ward in Duhok province for patients with the coronavirus.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The US representative in the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil on Wednesday handed over a batch of medical and laboratory supplies to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Health Ministry to help it fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The supplies were provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). They contained oxygen regulators, pulse oximeters, cleaning items, medical gowns, and intravenous fluids (IV) to “bolster the Kurdistan Region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the US Consul General in Erbil, Rob Waller, said during a press conference.
“With these supplies, we trust that the Kurdistan Region’s health workers will be further protected from catching COVID-19 and that their patients will recover even more quickly from the effects of the virus,” Waller added.
The assistance is part of the USAID’s funding for “Infection Prevention, control activities, training for health workers, preparations, and rehabilitations of isolation wards,” the top US diplomat in Erbil stated.
In October 2020, the USAID had contributed to the opening of an isolation ward in Duhok province for patients with the coronavirus, from which around 150,000 individuals benefited from COVID-19 testing and isolation, according to a statement from the US Consulate General.
Moreover, the international organization has also trained over 200,000 health care workers at the frontlines on “prevention, first aid, controlling, and psychiatry,” according to the statement.
“This assistance reflects our deep appreciation of and commitment to the people of the Kurdistan Region,” the consul general said during the press conference.
For his part, KRG Health Minister Saman Barzinji appreciated and thanked the US government for its assistance and contributions.
“This relationship [between the Kurdistan Region and the US] has a great benefit for supporting the people of the Kurdistan Region,” the health minister said.
As of Wednesday, the Kurdistan Region has so far seen over 104,000 COVID-19 infections along with more than 3,400 deaths, according to official figures.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany