- ADB is providing essential medical supplies and personal protective equipment to its 10 member countries in Central and West Asia to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
- In partnership with governments, ADB is delivering medical supplies and equipment to health workers, other frontliners, and communities who need them the most amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ADB is helping protect the population of its developing member countries in Central and West Asia by providing lifesaving medical supplies and personal protective equipment using $12 million in grants.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ADB has been working to provide life-saving medical supplies and personal protective equipment to its developing member countries. In Central and West Asia, ADB provided $12 million in grants to procure these items and help protect the population from the disease.
In partnership with governments, the supplies and equipment are being delivered to health workers, other frontliners, and communities who need them the most.
Transcript
This hospital has been a COVID-19 treatment center since March.
“Patients in severe conditions from all over the republic are sent here for consultation and further hospitalization, if needed,” said Guljigit Aaliev, Chief Medical Officer of the Republican Infectious Diseases Hospital in the Kyrgyz Republic. “We worked uninterruptedly, providing care to COVID-19 infected patients.”
The hospital is one of many in Central and West Asia to receive medical supplies from ADB.
Since the start of the pandemic, ADB has been supplying the region with personal protective equipment (PPE), respiratory equipment, and others, thanks to $12 million in grants.
“At the onset of the pandemic, ADB quickly approved new emergency procurement guidelines for COVID 19. These new guidelines allowed for flexibility to cater to the varying and urgent needs of countries in the Central and West Asia region to respond to the crisis,” said Kirthi Ramesh, ADB Social Sector Specialist for Central and West Asia. “The supplies will help contain the spread of the virus and ensure that health workers are able to perform their duties while reducing the risk of infection.”
In Afghanistan, ADB-supplied PPE like coveralls, masks, and goggles are keeping workers safe.
In Tajikistan, more than 14 tons of PPE have been delivered, with more to come.
In Kazakhstan, medical frontliners are being protected by PPE such as coveralls and respirators.
In Azerbaijan, 15,000 coveralls, 10,000 masks, and other medical supplies have been turned over.
In Turkmenistan, reagents and other laboratory supplies have reached the capital.
Securing essential medical supplies amid the global health crisis has been a challenge.
So ADB also partnered with UNICEF to help with procurement and delivered supplies to Armenia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.
Georgia will also soon receive a PCR machine to upgrade testing capacity.
These supplies will benefit the public and those on the frontline.
As the region confronts the COVID-19 pandemic, ADB continues to help Central and West Asia find the path to recovery.
