The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Tuesday, took delivery of 200 ventilators from the Government of the United States of America(USA) to boost her response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement by Blessing Egbo, Director, Information Media & Public Relations, Ministry of Health said Dr. Osagie Ehanire received the donation at on behalf of the Federal Government at a ceremony held at Premier Medical Warehouse, Jabi, Abuja.
While conveying the appreciation of President Muhammadu Buhari to President Donald Trump and the U.S. Government, Ehanire described the donation as “generous and friendly” particularly at this time when the U.S. is also being preoccupied by the global pandemic.
Ehanire said: “This donation consists of 200 ventilators, which, as we all know by now, are a critical component of the response strategy to save the lives of persons who have been severely impacted by this viral infection. They will certainly be of great benefit to the people of Nigeria and I wish to convey the appreciation of His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and of the Government of Nigeria, to President Donald Trump and the United States Government for the generous consideration and friendly gesture. We particularly appreciate that this gift comes against the backdrop that the United States is also fighting its own fierce battle against the COVID-19 plague. We wish them the very best in this challenge”, he said.
Dr. Ehanire also commended the United States Agency for International Development, the United States Centre for Disease Control (USCDC) and the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Her Excellency, Mary Beth Leonard, for their interests and engagement in Nigeria, even beyond the advent of COVID-19. “Her Excellency has demonstrated personal concern by paying a solidarity visit to the Federal Ministry of Health”, the Minister said.
The Minister also used the occasion to appeal to the United States Government to lend its full weight to the global efforts to find efficacious therapeutics and vaccines to neutralize the threat of COVID-19 to the global community and to guarantee fair allocation to all countries and people. “The speed and ease with which COVID-19 has spread across the globe clearly shows that it is a threat to mankind. Without the full collaboration of all nations, the threat of COVID-19 to any one part of the world is a threat to all”, he added.
Earlier, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard who handed over the Ventilators on behalf of the United States’ Government said “The 200 ventilators being transferred today are compact and portable, and can be easily mobilized to reach those patients with the most severe symptoms of COVID-19.”
She added that the support includes training on the use and maintenance of this equipment and ensuring that the ventilators can address other respiratory illnesses in the years beyond the virus.
The Ambassador said the ventilators which she tagged “life-saving equipment” is a fulfillment of the commitment made by Presidents Donald Trump and Muhammadu Buhari earlier this year to assist in tackling the rampaging COVID-19 in Nigeria.
