The Government of the United States of America today, donated 60 portable critical care ventilators to the Government of Maldives.
The ventilators were handed over symbolically at an event held virtually, by the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Maldives, Alaina Teplitz, to the High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Omar Abdul Razzak, in Colombo. This event was witnessed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives Abdulla Shahid and senior officials from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Male’.
This generous donation from the Government of the United States was facilitated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase the capacity and enhance the preparedness of the health sector of the Maldives to support the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. These critical supplies would not only complement the Government’s efforts to control and contain the spread of COVID-19 but also play a vital role in expanding the capacity of the Intensive Care Units at hospitals even after the pandemic, to treat patients suffering from other respiratory illnesses.
Speaking at the event, Minister Shahid noted that the United States has always proven to be a close and a reliable friend, especially during challenging times such as now. He thanked Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo and the United States government for the continuous unwavering support extended to the Maldives and noted that such generosity and friendship from close partners have increased the capacity of the country’s front-line workers to combat the spread of the virus as well as address long-term goals such as reviving the economy.
The United States has so far contributed over USD 4 million to the Maldives COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. This includes a grant aid of USD 2 million, multiple donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), PCR machine and related equipment, as well as donations through several multilateral agencies such as IAEA and UNICEF. The sixty ventilators that were handed over today is the most recent donation of critical supplies from the US towards this effort. These critical care ventilators would be dispersed to hospitals across 20 atolls by the Ministry of Health.
In her speech, Ambassador Teplitz reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of the United States to continue working together to further strengthen the dynamic partnership between the two countries.
