Luxembourg provides an additional 1.2 million EUR to support the COVID-19 response in Lao PDR

The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg continues to support its partner country, Laos, to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases, Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation has committed an additional 1.2 million EUR (14.6 billion LAK) to detect, mitigate and prevent the spread of the virus.

This additional financial support raises the Government of Luxembourg’s total contribution for the successful implementation of the COVID-19 preparedness and response plan in Laos to 5.2 million EUR (63.3 billion LAK).

An official handover ceremony was held on December 10, 2021, at the Ministry of Health in the Vientiane capital. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health, senior members of the Ministry of Health, representatives of the Bolikhamxay, Vientiane, and Khammouane provincial health departments as well as representatives of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (Department of International Cooperation), and representatives of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Europe-America Department).

The ceremony was attended by H.E. Mr. Sam Schreiner, Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Laos, Mr. Quentin Bourdeaux, Resident Representative of LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, representatives of the LAO/027 health sector support program, as well as representatives of the Pasteur Institute in Laos (IPL), the World Food Program (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

In coordination with the Ministry of Health, Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation provides this additional funding to the World Food Program (WFP), the Pasteur Institute in Laos (IPL), and the Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027).

Through this latest funding assistance, Luxembourg’s support is expected:

• to guarantee the supply of food and essential items to return Lao migrant workers placed in quarantine centers via the WFP (481,000 EUR, equivalent to 5.9 billion LAK);
• to contribute to the increase of the diagnostic capacities of COVID-19 cases via the IPL (350,000 EUR, equivalent to 4.2 billion LAK);
• to provide support to the COVID-19 response at the national and provincial levels through the LAO/027 health program (369,000 EUR, equivalent to 4.5 billion LAK).

Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation is supporting the Ministry of Health and the three central provinces of Bolikhamxay, Vientiane, and Khammouane with equipment and training, and by facilitating the supply of essential goods such as personal protective equipment (PPE), viral transport media (VTM), and infection and prevention control (IPC) and decontamination supplies, which are currently in high demand. The LAO/027 program is also supporting the Pasteur Institute in Laos and the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology with laboratory equipment, reagents, and consumables to meet the testing needs.

As the pandemic is exacerbating the inequalities and hardships faced by already vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, the LAO/027 program continues to work alongside national and provincial healthcare providers to ensure the delivery of essential primary healthcare services, including quality Mother, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) services.