WHO supplies 340 MT medical help to SE Asia
Rohit Shishodia
The World Health Organization (WHO) has supplied over 340 metric tons of essential medical supplies to the South East Asia Region to handle the current Covid surge. A total of USD 15 million worth supplies have been provided to countries in the current surge.
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, said that thousands of oxygen concentrators, testing kits, hospital beds, tents and personal protective equipment are among critical supplies that are being shipped to countries and rushed to areas where they are needed the most.
Dr Singh informed that in India, which in recent weeks accounted for a large proportion of global cases, essential supplies have reached 26 states and Union Territories, within days of a major consignment of medical equipment landing in New Delhi.
“These supplies will help meet immediate needs while countries make long term arrangements. Last week, 4000 oxygen concentrators, more than 120 tents, 400 medical beds for mobile hospitals, 1.2 million respirator masks, and 650,000 disposable sampling kits were flown into Delhi,” she added.
WHO has said that it has also provided 60 metric tons of much needed diarrheal disease kits, and (personal protective equipment) PPEs to Bangladesh. The rapid deployment of these life-saving medicines and medical supplies is vital to WHO’s ongoing health emergency response efforts.
Earlier, WHO provided 43 metric tons of supplies including PPEs, diarrheal disease kits, tents, pulse oximeters, infrared thermometers and field deployment kits to Timor-Leste to respond to the pandemic as well as floods that hit the island country in April 2021.
Dr Kheterpal stressed that collective efforts are needed to strengthen pandemic response, emphasizing that WHO is committed to working with all countries in the Region and supporting them in the current surge and beyond.
“This is a battle that cannot be fought alone. To curtail the pandemic, we must work together and step up to help each other within and outside our borders,” said the Regional Director.
