Humanitarian cooperation

EU, WHO bring COVID-19 essential supplies to healthcare facilities of Minsk Oblast

Photo courtesy of the EU Delegation to Belarus

MINSK, 13 July (BelTA) - The European Union and the World Health Organization have brought COVID-19 essential supplies to healthcare facilities of Minsk Oblast, BelTA learned from the EU Delegation to Belarus.

“The personal protective equipment purchased by the World Health Organization with the European Union funds has been delivered to Minsk Oblast. The regional healthcare institutions have received 455,500 PPE items, including 300,000 medical masks, 133,000 respirators, 6,000 goggles, 6,000 protective facial shields and 10,500 medical gowns. All medical supplies have been checked for compliance with the international quality and safety standards and are intended for COVID-19 frontline health workers,” the message reads.

Head of the European Union's Delegation to Belarus Dirk Schuebel and WHO Representative to Belarus Batyr Berdyklychev took part in a ceremony to hand over part of the supplies to the Minsk Regional TB Hospital which was re-purposed to treat COVID-19 patients. The cargo is part of the total delivery of 3.6 million items which arrived in Belarus at the end of June and which was distributed to all regions.

Dirk Schuebel noted: “Today we are taking another step together in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. It is important to join efforts in this direction. The European Union, in partnership with the World Health Organization, is addressing these challenges. PPE for medical workers will be supplied to all Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. We also provide expert and advisory assistance to our neighboring countries. Our partners and us are here to help the Belarusian national healthcare system in this difficult period.”

“Healthcare workers are facing an increased risk of infection. WHO recommends that all necessary measures be taken to minimize risks to their health and safety. Providing necessary personal protective equipment, as well as training to use it correctly, will enable healthcare workers to provide the necessary medical care in a safer environment,” Batyr Berdyklychev said.

“This supply was made possible thanks to the financial support of the European Union, and WHO is happy with the opportunity to purchase and supply these important items,” he added.

According to the EU Delegation, the provision of PPE is part of a broader package of assistance from WHO and the EU to prevent, detect and respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Over the next two years, WHO and the EU will continue to support Belarus in strengthening its capacity to respond to public healthcare emergencies.

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