The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland represented by the British High Commission, Suva, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WHO to strengthen partnership in the Pacific.
As part of the agreement, the UK is providing additional funding of £1.8 million to provide critical assistance and build on work already underway to strengthen COVID-19 preparedness and response capacity across eleven Pacific Island countries.
Although the Pacific has not yet seen severe outbreaks, all countries remain vulnerable and widespread community transmission can still occur unless strong prevention, control and treatment measures are in place. The UK is therefore providing funding for critical medical equipment to contain and mitigate the virus across the region. WHO will provide technical support related to the use of this equipment.
The donation will help procure critical medical equipment such as ventilators, patient monitoring systems with ECG monitors and portable X-ray machines for Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
WHO thanks all donors and partners who have contributed to fund the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to combat COVID-19. A special appreciation goes to Member States and other contributors who provided flexible funds, making it possible for WHO to deliver a coherent, strategic and broad response.
Read more about the UK’s support to WHO and countries in the PacificRead more about WHO’s response to COVID-19