United States President Donald Trump has finally fulfilled his promise to send ventilators to Nigeria.
Receiving 200 ventilators on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at a ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday, Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, described the medical items as critical to saving the lives of persons who have been severely affected by the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Minister said: “This donation consists of 200 ventilators, which, as we all know by now, are a critical component of the response strategy to save the lives of persons who have been severely impacted by this viral infection.
“They will certainly be of great benefit to the people of Nigeria and I wish to convey the appreciation of His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and of the government of Nigeria, to President Donald Trump and the United States Government for the generous consideration and friendly gesture.
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“The Federal Ministry of Health, and its public health Agency, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), have focused on providing guidance to tackle the challenges.
“Our health workers have been trained and equipped and are doing the needful to attend to COVID-19 patients and give emergency care, while not losing sight of routine and essential health services.
“The speed and ease with which COVID-19 has spread across the globe clearly shows that it is a threat to mankind. Without the full collaboration of all nations, the threat of COVID-19 to any one part of the world is a threat to all.”
In her remarks at the event, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, who made the donation on behalf of the US Government, said: “The 200 ventilators being transferred today are compact and portable, and can be easily mobilised to reach those patients with the most severe symptoms of COVID-19.”
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She noted that the support includes training on the use and maintenance of this equipment and ensuring that the ventilators could address other respiratory illnesses in the years beyond the virus.
The Ambassador described the ventilators as “life-saving equipment,” noting that it’s a fulfillment of the commitment made by Trump and Buhari earlier this year to assist in tackling the rampaging COVID-19 in Nigeria.
Idowu Sowunmi
