Jamaica: Japan donates medical equipment of $260 million to combat COVID-19

Jamaica: The Japanese Govt. has donated medical equipment and supplies valued at approximately $260 million to support Jamaica's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan sent items to include mobile X-ray units, X-ray protective panels, ultrasound scanners, bedside monitors and defibrillators, which will benefit hospitals across the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew, Manchester, Clarendon, St. Ann and St. James.

The donation comes under Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme.

Addressing at a virtual handover ceremony held at the Kingston Public Hospital on Tuesday (March 2), Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade of Jamaica & Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, showed gratitude for the items.

She noted that the equipment and supplies would “significantly boost the Government’s efforts to provide quality healthcare to its citizens during and beyond coronavirus.”

She also praised the Government of Japan’s pledge to contribute US$130 million to the coronavirus Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility.

“This will surely help in securing access to vaccines by developing countries like Jamaica, assuring that no nation is left behind,” she noted.

Senator Johnson Smith said that the coronavirus pandemic has shown the interconnectivity of the global community & that a path to normalcy, productivity can be forged through “strong partnerships, diplomacy & collective action.”

State Minister for Health & Wellness, Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, in her remarks, stated that the healthcare teams “are more than delighted to get this gift of medical equipment & supplies, which they will use in taking out their duty of care to the Jamaican population.”

The State Minister remarked that Japan’s contribution is happening at a time when hospitals are facing a sharp rise in admissions as the number of COVID-19 patients and infections rise.

Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, Masaya Fujiwara, to his part, said that medical cooperation & contributions remain to be a top priority for Japan.

He said that in order to defeat the pandemic, “multilateral cooperation projects such as the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator are of critical importance”. ACT intends to speed up the development, production and ensure equitable access to new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

“As such, we will provide US$130 million to the COVAX facility to help the provision of coronavirus vaccines to developing countries, including Jamaica,” he pointed out.

The Ambassador stated that the COVAX facility would play an essential role in enabling Jamaica to inoculate as many nationals as possible.

He praised the country’s healthcare workers & officials of the Ministry of Health and Wellness for their “self-less” work in the battle against the pandemic.