Caption- Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith interacts with European Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Malgorzata Wasilewska at a recent ceremony held to handover medical supplies to aid in the Jamaica’s response to maternal and child mortality.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith is today expressing gratitude to the European Union, following the receipt of medical supplies valued at over half a million euros which will aid in the country’s response to maternal and child mortality.
The equipment, initially earmarked for the Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC), will be used in the first instance to assist in the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The supplies include neonatal and maternal high–dependency units such as syringe and infusion pumps, head boxes, defibrillators, laryngoscopes and hospital beds.
Speaking at the handover ceremony held at Medical Link Limited, Johnson Smith said that the donation “demonstrates how the EU supports development goals in countries with which it partners,” adding that “the equipment will not only be used to provide COVID-19 support but will contribute to life after the pandemic, to ensure that child and maternal mortality is supported as best as possible.”
Johnson Smith also recognised the additional support being provided by the EU to the region through the contribution of 8 million dollar euros in grant funding to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). She noted that the funds will benefit Jamaica by “allowing the Government to further strengthen the capacity of the island’s health system to respond to COVID-19.”
Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. the Honourable Christopher Tufton, welcomed the donation as “another manifestation of the partnership between Jamaica and the EU that has seen significant benefits to the people of Jamaica.”
For her part, European Ambassador to Jamaica, Malgorzata Wasilewska congratulated the Jamaican Government for its handling of the pandemic, noting that the equipment comes at a very important time in the country’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
The donation is the second batch of vital medical supplies handed over by the EU, following a recent donation of twenty-nine (29) ventilators. This contribution was facilitated by the Jamaica-European Union Cooperation Programme, a partnership which has been operational for over 45 years.
