IGAD Donates Shs 90M Worth of Medical, Personal Protection Equipment to Fight COVID19

The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development has donated medical equipment and personal protection equipment (PEP) worth Shs 90m to the Ministry of Health to combat COVID-19 at the border points.

Speaking during the handover ceremony at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Kampala on Tuesday, the IGAD Migration Expert and Coordinator Migration Protocol, Lucy Daxbacher said the donation emanated from the regional block’s recent extraordinary meeting that launched mobilization of funds to fight COVID-19.

“The IGAD support to the COVID-19 emergeny is a result of the extraordinary summit of Heads of State that took place on 31^st March in which they launch the IGAD COVID emergency funds,” said Ms. Daxbacher.

Daxbacher, who represented the IGAD Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, said the support is specifically to handle COVID-19 at the ports of origin and the ports of entry since the latter has proved to be significant source of the disease.

“These emergency kits are specifically meant to support IGAD member states at the ports of origin and ports of entry of highway track drivers and the community at the borders. The origin of the problem (COVID) is ports of origin and these kits shall handle it for the next 24 months,” added Daxbacher.

The kits are to handle the two border points of Busia and Elegu.

Speaking during the event, the Minister of Health Jane Ruth Acheng praised IGAD for identifying the risk areas and directing the support to combat the pandemic.

“On behalf of government and the National Taskforce of COVID, I appreciate the IGAD leadership and the entire IGAD Secretariat for support towards the COVID response in Uganda and the entire IGAD member states,” said Aceng.

Adding: “This contribution goes directly to address the areas of need as we are all aware the main challenges are in two points of entry and the border community registering cases of COVID.”

Aceng said the largest number of cases is now coming from South Sudan’s Elegu border point where 13 cases where registered only on Monday.

The members of IGAD staff last month contributed Shs 370m to the Ministry of Health to fight COVID.