The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided Sri Lanka a grant of $100,000 through which emergency medical equipment has been purchased through the United Nationals Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to respond to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Colombo Page has reported that this has enabled for the purchase of “4 suction machines, 4 suction apparatus, 10 infusion pumps, 12 syringe pumps, 7 multipara monitors, 11 laryngoscopes, and 1 point of care analyser”. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health has stated that this equipment will be given to 14 COVID-19 isolation units across the island.
The ADB had stated, on 18 March, its commitments to an initial package of roughly $6.5 billion to address the immediate needs of its developing member countries, including Sri Lanka
Tim Sutton, Representative, UNICEF Sri Lanka said on the matter;
“We thank ADB for their important grant assistance and fast response to the evolving COVID-19 situation facing Sri Lanka. UNICEF has already used this funding, and our expertise to purchase important medical equipment, which will further strengthen Sri Lanka’s capacity to save lives. We applaud the actions already taken by the government, and we encourage all parts of society to continue to come together and play their part. With concerted, coordinated, and consistent action, together we can beat COVID-19, and protect the most vulnerable in society, including children and young people,”
Read more from the Colombo Page.
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