WHO donates medical supplies to fuel war against COVID-19 in South Sudan

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday donated medical supplies worth more than 85 million South Sudanese pounds ($ 5.2 million) to boost the East African nation’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. .

Alain Noudehou, the humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan, said WHO procured the 70 tons of medical products using funds from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF) and the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Noudehou said in a statement issued in Juba that the donation included personal protective equipment, face masks, face shields, respirators, gowns and goggles.

He said the medical supplies would help protect healthcare workers from infections as they provide critical care to COVID-19 patients.

“Frontline workers must be protected while they do the important work of providing assistance to the people of South Sudan,” Noudehou said.

“Our goal is to ensure that healthcare workers and others performing critical public health functions receive much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) in prioritized locations as soon as possible,” he added.

He said humanitarian operations pre-COVID-19 must continue to avoid life-threatening consequences for people already facing serious risks, including new conflicts, food insecurity and preventable diseases.

Elizabeth Achuei Yol, South Sudan’s health minister, said the donation will help protect healthcare workers fighting the global pandemic.

Statistics from South Sudan’s health ministry indicate that 126 health workers in the country have tested positive for COVID-19, while one has succumbed to the disease.

South Sudan confirmed its first COVID-19 case on April 5 and since then the number has risen to 2,536, with 47 deaths and 1,296 recoveries as of Thursday.