April 7, 2021
By Mohamed M. Sesay
In support to the Pandemic Prevention in the ECOWAS Region, the German Ambassador His Excellency Horst Gruner, the Deputy Head of the European Union, and the implementing partner GIZ yesterday the 6th of April, graciously handed over critical medical supplies to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
The donated items include 400 Goggles, 2000 Gloves, 4000 Gloves M, 4000 Gloves L, 365 Throat Swabs, 1000 PCR Tube 0.2ML, 2550 Gowns, 34 Pulse Ox meters, 4080 N95 Masks, 600 Oxygen Facemasks and 1 Oxygen Concentrator.
In his handing statement at the Lungi International Airport, the German Ambassador Horst Gruner expressed his delight over the donation on behalf of BMZ; the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. All three development partners co-funded the donation in league with the European Union. It is done in the context of the Regional Programme Support to Pandemic Prevention in the ECOWAS Region –RPPP, implemented by GIZ.
The German Ambassador noted that as the current Ebola outbreak in Guinea looms, there is need for vigilance in effectively managing outbreaks of infectious disease. He said dealing with infectious disease is one of the great challenges of our time, stressing the point that the threat can only be tackled collectively across nations. He said discipline must be a pre-requisite in winning the fight against as infectious diseases as it is a phenomenon that knows no borders and has far-reaching impact on individual and societal well-being, economic development and peace and security.
He said it is only a well maintained and holistic public health systems are needed to handle the super-interface between the environment, wildlife, domestic animals and humans.
He further stated that BMZ supports (African) partner countries in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but is already focusing on pandemic prevention. This is about preventing and combating new pandemics. He impressed on his audience that it is important to act now to prevent new pandemics and crises.
He added that in the ECOWAS region, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) have been active in supporting pandemic prevention since 2016, establishing the Regional Programme Support to Pandemic Prevention in the ECOWAS Region, (RPPP) which builds capacity for infectious disease outbreak prevention and response with the regional public health institutions and the corresponding entities in the 15 member states, focusing on integrating the One Health approach in all support measures. These include, for example, bringing together the human, animal and environmental health sectors in establishing integrated disease control mechanisms for the region, as well as the provision of tailored trainings on One Health for public health professionals for human resource capacity building.
- He congratulated ECOWAS including the West African Health Organization, WAHO and ECOWAS- Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC) for the efficient support in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in its efforts to further strengthen infectious disease prevention and control mechanisms in keeping with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). He said the quick reaction to coordinate the regional response to the Ebola outbreak in Guinea also shows that the public health architecture which has emerged since the first Ebola outbreak in West Africa is maturing adding that for 2021, the German Government plans to deploy further support for international efforts to combat COVID-19, including support for the distribution of diagnostics and vaccines within the region, and a follow on project to RPPP is also planned.
“In my capacity as Ambassador of the Federal Government of Germany to Sierra Leone I express the delight of the people of Germany to see this contribution go a long way in supporting the MoHS in the fight against COVID-19 Pandemic and other public health emergencies. We therefore trust that these items will be utilized for the purpose they are procured for. Good use of these items will ensure that the targeted outcomes and impact of this initiative are met”, he said.
In her statement, the Deputy Head of Delegation to the European Union Jamila EL ASSAIDI confessed that, she felt honored being part of the handing over ceremony of consignment of essential medical supplies funded under the Regional Programme “Support to Pandemic Prevention in the ECOWAS Region” (RPPP to the Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation.
She affirmed that, the overall aim of the regional RPPP programme was to assist the ECOWAS Commission, the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO) and the Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC) in supporting ECOWAS Member States to implement international health regulations and to set up selected mechanisms to prevent and control infectious disease outbreaks. She added that the programme was commissioned by the German Government, co-financed by the European Union and is implemented by GIZ adding that, Since its launch in 2016, the project has since expanded its scope to contribute to 2 important objectives: the fight against COVID-19 and national preparedness against Ebola.
She continued that, the European Union and Germany, as part of “Team Europe”, has also contributed additional funds for the purchase of protective and intensive care equipment for facilities and health workers of ECOWAS Member States. She noted that the COVID-19 has indeed caused unprecedented pressure on healthcare workers and healthcare systems throughout the region and therefore said among the list of items being delivered yesterday were protective aprons, sterile gloves and rubber boots, and vital intensive care medical equipment needed for COVID patients has also been procured, such as oxygen concentrators, prongs and catheters.
She furthered that through the COVAX facility, Team Europe is also playing a key role in helping low and middle income countries to vaccinate their population. So far, she said Team Europe has provided over €2 billion to the COVAX vaccination initiative and as a result, COVAX has already shipped over 33 million doses to 74 participating countries.
“As we are joined here today by esteemed Ambassador Horst Gruner, it is a perfect opportunity to recall that the Team Europe approach was born in the context of COVID-19 to respond to the urgency of the crisis and emerging realities on the ground. The aim was to pool together resources from the whole European family – EU institutions, EU Member States and their implementing agencies, European development finance institutions, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – in order to ensure collective support to our partner countries in their response to the pandemic. Today’s donation is another token of Team Europe solidarity with the people of Sierra Leone. Only by pulling together and cooperating across borders can we beat the virus and contain its consequences”, she concluded.
Receiving the donated items, the Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Augustine Anthony Sandi expressed his heartened appreciation to all the co-financiers and implementing partners especially the German Ambassador and the European Union. He added that, sometimes last the ECOWAS through WAHO also donated a huge consignment of assorted medical equipment. He noted that the donation just illustrated that team work is very key and can go a very long way in achieving result. He concluded that the assorted medical materials coming into the country at the moment are highly needed and therefore, assured that the medical supplies would be used for the intended purpose.