The European Union (EU) has announced a further EUR 2 million in funding to help Sri Lanka in its efforts to manage the pandemic. The grant, provided by the EU humanitarian office ECHO, will be channelled through the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Vision in Sri Lanka. These resources complement ongoing EU support to fight the Covid-19 and its socioeconomic consequences in Srilanka, including EUR 2 million for the health sector as well as close to EUR 4 million to revitalize the tourism industry. A Press Release said yesterday
“Healthcare staff and facilities in Sri Lanka are being pushed to the limit by the pandemic,” said Michelle Cicic, who oversees EU humanitarian assistance in Asia-Pacific.
“The EU and Sri Lanka have worked together to battle COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. This latest support will ensure that emergency equipment and supplies are quickly channelled to health facilities in dire need of life-saving assistance.”
“This new grant is part of the EU’s global response to the coronavirus pandemic to ‘build back better’ and it complements our ongoing partnership with WHO in Sri Lanka,” said the Ambassador of the EU Delegation in Sri Lanka, Denis Chaibi. “The additional resources will be instrumental in improving healthcare capacity and hopefully help also preventing future surges of cases, while paying special attention to the needs of the most vulnerable people and underserved areas.”
The release further said
WHO has conducted an assessment of health facilities and identified the gaps in emergency preparedness and response. In response, WHO will support the management of severe cases in 74 hospitals by providing medical equipment and supplies; enhance surveillance and rapid testing capacities with 100,000 new rapid antigen test kits and provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers to protect them from infections and ensure continuity of essential services.
World Vision will enhance COVID-19 prevention, care and treatment capacity of the health system in four provinces. World Vision will provide equipment such as pulse oximeters, oxygen regulators, multiparameter monitors, ECG machines, nebulizers and hospital beds to 29 health facilities. In addition, it will support vaccination campaigns targeting vulnerable groups.
