Ja among countries to benefit from COVID-19 funding from Canada to PAHO
Published:Wednesday | March 31, 2021 | 1:24 PM
Jamaica is among six Caribbean countries that are to receive support in the fight against COVID-19 with the contribution of CAN$1,200,000 or approximately USD$950,000 from the Canadian Government to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
The other beneficiary countries are The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The donation by the Canadian government will be used to acquire essential personal protection equipment, laboratory and medical equipment, as well as supplies to be used by health care workers and hospitals.
It will also help strengthen communication efforts around public health risks, continued promotion of protective measures, and community engagement.
Several countries in the Caribbean are reporting a rise in COVID-related deaths, including a doubling of deaths in some islands.
Many countries have begun, or will soon begin, rolling out vaccines to protect their populations.
“The pandemic is putting healthcare workers and systems of the countries in the Caribbean under great strain, which is why we are grateful to the Government of Canada for supporting COVID-19 treatment for countries in the Caribbean that are struggling due to the pandemic. The contribution will help save lives and shows how we can all join forces in solidarity to defeat this virus,” said PAHO Director Dr Carissa F Etienne.
This contribution is part of a 5-year subregional programme between PAHO and Canada, which aims to reduce the health consequence of emergencies and disasters in the Caribbean, through better preparedness and a more resilient health sector.
It builds on the longstanding relationship between the organisation and the Canadian government to strengthen health emergency risk management in the region of the Americas.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Government of Canada has donated over USD$8 million to support PAHO’s technical cooperation to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas.
Canada’s Acting Senior Director for the Caribbean Regional Development Program, Ms. Jennifer Heys, said: “Even one year later, COVID-19 continues to challenge health systems across the Caribbean, and we continue to see the stark health and socioeconomic impacts this crisis is having on the Caribbean people. Canada is proud to partner with PAHO once again to provide additional much-needed medical equipment, supplies, and training to support the Caribbean countries that are facing the greatest health sector crisis from COVID-19.”
In the spirit of continuous collaboration and Pan-American solidarity, the Canadian government and PAHO have been in conversations to keep addressing critical needs of Latin American and Caribbean countries to sustain the fight against COVID-19.
- JIS News
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