Guyana has begun receiving supplies to fight COVID-19 under the US$1m made available to this country by India.
The same US$1 million level of assistance, was offered to each CARICOM country, according to a press release from the Indian High Commission.
The assistance is aimed at improving health infrastructure and capacities and the procurement of medical supplies and equipment which will enable Guyanese to receive more COVID-19 related medical care and health services. This includes the procurement of 29 ventilators, 4,800 PPE-clothing coveralls, 4,799 masks, 4,366 face shields, 70 examination gloves, and various other supplies. Besides these, the Indian Government has provided 30,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets “as a gesture of goodwill” in support of the fight against COVID-19.
The medical supplies and medicine were handed over on Wednesday by the High Commissioner of India, Dr K.J. Srinivasa to Guyana’s Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony. PAHO/WHO Guyana Representative, Dr William Adu-Krow, was also present at the occasion.
Guyana’s proposal for assistance and collaboration for fighting the coronavirus pandemic was processed under an India-UNDP Fund managed by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and the guidelines of the Sustainable Development Goals. The implementation of this funding assistance for procurement of medical supplies and equipment was done by the UNDP and Ministry of Public Health in partnership with PAHO. The modalities for implementing the project were followed as per the guidelines of the India-UNDP Fund.
India has acknowledged that the pandemic has strained the capacity of the world to assist others and therefore, international cooperation is imperative. India has since assisted over 100 countries with medical supplies and equipment to combat COVID-19, the release added.
