Guyana gets over $207M in protective equipment
(from left) High Commissioner of Canada, Mark Berman; World Bank Operations Officer, Hubert Adrian Forrester; Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, and PAHO/WHO Representative, Luis F. Codina at the handing over ceremony, on Tuesday
(from left) High Commissioner of Canada, Mark Berman; World Bank Operations Officer, Hubert Adrian Forrester; Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, and PAHO/WHO Representative, Luis F. Codina at the handing over ceremony, on Tuesday

–through collective effort of World Bank, PAHO/WHO and Canadian government

GUYANA’S capacity to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic has been boosted with a donation of $207 million in personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection prevention equipment from the Pan-American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), the Government of Canada and the World Bank.
The large number of protective equipment were presented to Guyana’s Health Ministry at their Materials Management Unit (MMU), located at Diamond, on the East Bank of Demerara.
Specific items which were donated to the health ministry are face shields, goggles, masks, isolation gowns, protective coverings for the feet, sanitising liquid, detergent, among other things.
Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, described the donations as ‘substantial’, and acknowledged that the equipment displayed at the handing over ceremony represented only a fraction of what the ministry actually acquired.

“What we are looking at is using the donations that we’ve received, and getting it out as fast as possible to our health quarters so that they can get busy with the job of preventing COVID-19. So, as fast as we get those things, we’ve been sending them out to the different regions. In no small way, the protective equipment that we have received would have helped to protect our healthcare workers,” the minister said. High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana, Mark Berman, at the handing over ceremony, highlighted the importance of PPEs and infection prevention equipment, especially now, as Guyana faces its deadliest wave of COVID-19 to date.
“I understand that the most recent data shows that between April and May here in Guyana, there have been over 6,000 new cases, and the most deaths that have been seen since the start of the pandemic. I think that just underlines that we’re not done yet,” he said.

He noted that although the Health Ministry is doing well in the fight against COVID-19, there is still much work to be done. He called for persons to take personal responsibility as it pertains to following the guidelines set out by the Health Ministry, and taking their COVID-19 vaccine.
“So, this is part of an overall CAD$5 million commitment to PAHO to support preparedness, research, and response in the Caribbean, of which Guyana is a beneficiary. I want to recognise that the needs are still great, and the Canadian support may not meet all of them. However, we hope this support will help to contribute in bringing us one step closer to ending this deadly pandemic,” Berman related.

He reasoned that the only way to fight against COVID-19 is through co-operation. To this end, he said that the Canadian Government, hand-in-hand with the World Bank and PAHO/WHO, is prepared to help Guyana in any way possible, and stand “very much in solidarity” with the country, in the face of the pandemic.
World Bank Operations Officer, Hubert Adrian Forrester, stated that the World Bank’s Pandemic Emergency Financial Facility is just one of the bank’s many responses to support countries as they tackle the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the support of PAHO and Global Affairs Canada, the organisation has been able to assist in the procurement of essential supplies for healthcare facilities and workers. The grant also financed the equipping of the Health Emergency Operations Centre, and key points of entry at the borders, ensuring the setup and functionality of essential services.

MORE HELP
“The cash grant is only part of the support that the World Bank provided to Guyana to tackle COVID-19. In November last year, we approved a US$7.5 million project to support the Ministry of Health’s efforts to enhance national systems to prevent new cases of COVID-19, detect existing cases, and support contact tracing, quarantine, isolation, and the general efforts to treat those infected with COVID-19,” Forrester detailed.
He added that a US$1 million grant will also be finalised in the coming weeks, to support further health system strengthening, combining approaches similar to that of the WHO, and conducting analyses and assessments to ensure that the system can respond to future health threats.
“We’re actually now finalising support to the country’s vaccine efforts, including support for purchasing and deploying vaccines, to ensure that we meet the threshold necessary to achieve herd immunity,” he said.

“What this shows is that the World Bank is here for the long run. We are committed to Guyana, not just through the COVID-19 crisis, but to support the recovery. Our efforts are to rebuild our system to show we are stronger, more resilient. I have no doubt that this mission is important to all of us, including our partners at PAHO and Global Affairs Canada, and the hardworking team, of course, at the Ministry of Health Guyana,” the operations officer related.
Resident PAHO/WHO Representative, Luis F. Codina, expressed his gratitude to Canada and the World Bank for their continued support to PAHO/WHO and the Ministry of Health.
He noted that although the materials were classed as “infection prevention,” they are offer critical protection to those on the frontline in the continuous fight against COVID-19. He added that aside from the PPE, PAHO/WHO also provided training for essential workers, information for civilians, and capacity building for laboratories.

“And I think that this is not so close to finished, all of our work, in terms of the pandemic. We know that… We have to maintain all of the health measures, and the security measures, and also be vaccinated… So, from PAHO/WHO, we are very proud to be here, and we are with Canada, the World Bank, and, of course, the health minister, to support the fight against the pandemic, COVID-19,” he said. Minister Anthony underlined the integral role of healthcare workers, moreso frontline workers, in the fight against COVID-19, noting that having those persons properly equipped is “of utmost importance”. “You would recall that at one time, we had various challenges getting PPEs.

Now, I think that we have been able to alleviate those types of problems… So, on behalf of the government of Guyana, we would like to thank the government and people of Canada, and, of course, the World Bank, that helped us to procure these things,” he related.
Aside from the PPEs, Minister Anthony explained that considering the need for patients to be hospitalised for COVID-19, PAHO/WHO has also assisted in procuring a number of oxygen concentrators, devices that concentrate the oxygen from a gas supply (typically ambient air) by selectively removing nitrogen to supply an oxygen-enriched product gas stream.
“These types of equipment are life-saving, because somebody who needs oxygen… if we can give it to them in this format, then it really works,” the minister said.
The Ministry of Health has been working with PAHO/WHO since September 2020 to tackle several issues, including the ongoing fight against COVID-19, and HIV and AIDS.

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