Personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential medical equipment provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), transported by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), were delivered to the Government of Tonga to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa thanked the UN partners for their continued support throughout the pandemic, noting that while Tonga remains free of COVID-19, Tonga will continue to prepare for the introduction of cases.
The TOP1.3 million ($585,520) worth of medical supplies includes around 1.8 million medical masks, 57,000 KN95 masks, 11,000 face shields, 1,700 protective goggles, and 13,000 isolation gowns. The supplies from WHO include masks, face shields, goggles, and gowns with an approximate value of TOP717,000. Among these was a large quantity of masks donated to the WHO by the Jack Ma Foundation. The supplies procured by UNICEF include gowns, masks, gloves, goggles, thermometers, pulse oximeters, and oxygen concentrators, with an approximate value of TOP593,000, thanks to support from ADB.
These essential PPE and medical devices will ensure that frontline healthcare workers are equipped and protected from potential infection and improve Tonga’s capacity in the clinical management of potential COVID-19 cases.
“Although Tonga remains COVID-19-free, frontline medical workers are most at risk of potentially contracting the virus should it enter Tonga’s borders,” said Senior Country Officer from ADB’s Pacific Country Office Tatafu Moeaki during the handover ceremony. “We will continue to work with UNICEF and our other partners to help the Pacific respond to the pandemic and keep health workers safe.”
The ADB funding comes from a $7.9 million grant to support Pacific Island countries in their preparedness and response plans for COVID-19. To date, the total sum of approved ADB COVID-19 assistance to ADB’s Pacific developing member countries in 2020, including co-financing resources and technical assistance is about $260 million.
Original source: ADB
