Bridgetown, Barbados, 02 July 2020 (PAHO/WHO) — PAHO/WHO recently presented Dominica with a donation to help keep health officials on the right path as they battle the COVID-19 virus.
The PAHO /WHO Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries, presented the Ministry of Health, Wellness and New Investment with a Brand New Seven-Seater Suzuki Ertiga, to support its response to the COVID-19 virus in Dominica.
The vehicle will support the Surveillance programme through strengthening of its contact tracing capabilities, early detection, screening, follow up and management of COVID-19 cases.
Minister of Health Dr. Hon. Irvin Mc Intyre, PS in the Ministry of Health Wellness and New Investment, Mrs. Letitia Wyke, National Epidemiologist Dr. Shalauddin Ahmed and representatives of the Ministry of Health, were present at the handover function.
Dr. Yitades Gebre, the PAHO /WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries, sent his regards to Dominicans and praised their efforts. “To date we are very pleased with the progress made by the government of Dominica and the leadership of the Ministry of Health’s effective and measured response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He cautioned: “As we exit the pandemic period sometime in the future, the health system needs to continue to prepare and respond to other health emergencies and support disease surveillance activities of any new or existing health challenges. Hence this vehicle will be part of the national response for years to come.”
PAHO/WHO leads strategic collaborative efforts among member states and other partners to promote equity in health, to combat disease and to improve the quality of, and lengthen, the lives of the peoples of the Americas.
Technical Cooperation Support to Dominica is ongoing and has led to the successful mobilization of approximately US$380,000 for the COVID-19 response, with approximately US$1.2m additional funds in the pipeline. These resources have been critical to providing the following support to Dominica:
- Technical assistance to assess country readiness for COVID-19 and train health care workers on different aspects of the response
- Numerous Guidelines and Protocols in the response to the COVID 19 Pandemic
- Risk Communication banners and posters for the ports of entry
- Hundreds of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), computers and printers for use in the isolation facility
- The provision of 13,000 additional N95 masks to the Ministry of Health to assist with infection control
- Numerous PCR Lab Testing consumables, inclusive of over 3000 reagents yielding more than 18000 reactions. Just two days ago more PCR consumables were handed over to the Ministry of Health, to support screening, early detection and management of cases.
