EU makes second donation of medical supplies to Jamaica

(CMC): The European Union (EU) will be making a second donation of medical supplies and equipment to Jamaica in support of the country’s efforts to tackle COVID-19, the Head of the EU Delegation to Jamaica, Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska, has announced.

Wasilewska said the items include monitors, infusion pumps and intensive care unit (ICU) beds.

The country has recorded 490 positive cases, the highest in the English-speaking Caribbean, with nine deaths. 

In a statement to mark Europe Day 2020, Wasilewska said the supplies had arrived and would be delivered to government shortly.

“They couldn't’t be more timely,” she said.

In April, government received 29 ventilators valued at approximately €1 million to support patients in intensive care and treat those infected with COVID-19.

Europe Day, observed on May 9 every year, celebrates peace and unity across the continent and relations between the EU and partner countries like Jamaica.

In her statement, Wasilewska noted that this year’s observance marks 45 years of partnership between Jamaica and the EU and is taking place at a time when Jamaica, the region and the world are fighting a pandemic.

She said Jamaica and the EU share a “special relationship and a mutual commitment to doing all we can to ensure that everyone has a chance to live in peace and dignity”.

“The challenge has only just begun and today, as we celebrate the 45 years of our relationship, we know only too well that we are stronger together,” she added.

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