Each country will have US$20 million to purchase hospital and intensive care supplies and equipment and invest in training for health personnel.
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 17, 2020 ¨C ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ approved two loans of US$20 million each to support El Salvador and Honduras¡¯ immediate response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. These projects, prepared in an expedited manner, will allow both countries to invest in laboratory and hospital equipment, including ventilators, respirators, beds and special equipment for intensive care units and supplies for the protection of health care personnel, among others.
¡°We are working closely with countries to support their response to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, with the aim of saving lives and detecting, preventing and treating contagions,¡± said Seynabou Sakho, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Director for Central America. ¡°We continue to collaborate with the governments of El Salvador, Honduras and the countries of Central America with rapid actions to provide additional support to strengthen their health systems and address this emergency, including the activation of emergency components of projects under implementation and the swift preparation of new projects.¡±
The US$20 million ¡°El Salvador COVID-19 Emergency Response Project¡± aims to help prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen the national public health system. The Project will allow El Salvador to invest in:
¡¤ Hospital equipment such as ventilators, respirators, vital sign monitoring systems, beds and equipment for intensive care units,
¡¤ Medical supplies, including medicines, vaccines and supplies for the protection of health personnel,
¡¤ Training for health personnel in public hospitals, and
¡¤ Communication and health education efforts for citizens and health personnel, including culturally appropriate educational materials for vulnerable populations.
The US$20 million ¡°Honduras COVID-19 Emergency Response Project¡± aims to help detect and respond to the COVID-19 threat in Honduras and will allow the country to invest in:
¡¤ Hospital equipment and for intensive care units,
¡¤ Medicines and medical supplies, including protective gear for health personnel, hygienic and biosafety materials, and equipment for laboratories, isolations units and international sanitary offices in the country,
¡¤ Technical assistance and training for health workers on standards and protocols for case management, patient care and infection prevention, and
¡¤ Operational support for rapid response teams to investigate and contain contagion.
The US$20 mil