LUSAKA – Yesterday, the U.S. government donated lifesaving medical supplies to the Lusaka Provincial Health Office as an expression of ongoing support toward the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia.
The handover event featured the most recent contribution from the American people, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other U.S. government agencies, of medical supplies including pulse oximeters, personal protective equipment, and medicine worth over K38 million ($2.1 million). The donation partly reflects the U.S. government’s continued provision of critical supplies and technical expertise to support Zambia’s response to the pandemic.
Speaking during the virtual handover event, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires David Young said “The medical supplies will help frontline healthcare workers provide care for patients with COVID-19 and strengthen public health capacity in Zambia to contain the pandemic and minimize its impact. Moreover, this donation will boost the collective effort aimed at managing and curtailing the spread of the deadly virus.”
Minster Chilufya added, “Today, the American government shows the strength of its friendship and partnership with the Zambian people through the generous donation of COVID-related equipment and medicines by donating K38 million of commodities.”
The recent provision of medical supplies builds on a foundation of more than K332 million ($17 million) in COVID-19 assistance the U.S. government has provided to Zambia since the start of the pandemic.
Through its partners, such as University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Lusaka Provincial Health Office, and DISCOVER-Health, the U.S. government has provided additional medical supplies that have been distributed at the COVID-19 response centers at Levy and UTH, which have treated the greatest proportion of cases so far, as well as centers on the Copperbelt and across the country.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. government has committed more than $1.6 billion in assistance worldwide specifically aimed at fighting the pandemic. This funding will help save lives by providing ventilators, improving public health education, protecting healthcare workers, strengthening laboratory systems, supporting disease surveillance, and boosting rapid-response capacity in more than 120 countries around the world.
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