Taing Rinith / Khmer Times Thu, March 18, 2021

With support from the World Bank and WHO, the United Nations Development Programme yesterday announced that it has donated ambulances and other medical equipment to help the Kingdom combat COVID-19, which so far has seen 121 million people infected worldwide and 2.67 million deaths.

“In partnership with World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO), UNDP Cambodia supported the Ministry of Health in procuring 60 ambulances, 50 ventilators and other emergency medical items to help the Royal Government of Cambodia scale-up their #COVID19 response and #RecoverBetter from the pandemic,” the UNDP’s statement said on its official Facebook page.

This is not the first time that the UNDP has provided assistance amid the ongoing pandemic. In June last year, the UNDP, along with WHO Cambodia and the World Bank, presented the Cambodian Ministry of Health with eight ventilators and other supplies for COVID-19 preparedness and response, purchased with a loan from the World Bank.

Then in December, the UN agency, with support from the Australian government, handed over critical protective equipment and sanitation materials to the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCE).

According to Mariana González Migueles, team leader from UNDP’s IFI Partnership (International Financial Institutions), the UNDP has signed agreements worth $219 million with some of the world’s largest IFI’s such as the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, Asia Development and the International Fund for Agricultural Development to strengthen COVID-19 response in developing countries.

“The majority of this financing has enabled UNDP to support government partners in procuring vital personal protection equipment, healthcare equipment and expertise in places like Armenia, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, The Gambia, Grenada, Guinea Bissau, Yemen, Palestine, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mexico, Timor Leste, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe,” she said.

Cambodia from January last year until yesterday has reported 1,505 cases with 840 recoveries and one death. The Kingdom, which had performed very well in containing the spread of COVID-19 for about one year, is now facing the biggest community outbreak dubbed the February 20 Community Incident. It has caused the country’s community cases to increase by 990 in just about three weeks.

“Based on data available, we believe that Cambodia is at a critical stage of COVID-19 transmission, but we have a window of opportunity to stop the current outbreak before being too late,” said Dr Li Ailan, WHO representative in Cambodia. “Following and implementing all the measures are key to success.”

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SOURCE – Khmer Times, Cambodia Thu, March 18, 2021

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