ISLAMABAD: The US government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided an additional 100 respiratory ventilators to Pakistan in order to cope with the coronavirus crisis.
The ventilators arrived in Islamabad on July 28 and will be deployed in hospitals across the country. A shipment of 100 ventilators had first arrived on July 3 and has already been delivered to health care facilities throughout Pakistan.
“The arrival of these ventilators delivers on President Donald Trump’s promise to Prime Minister Imran Khan to stand with the people of Pakistan and bring additional critically needed supplies and support to Pakistan’s urgent response to the pandemic,” a statement from the US embassy said.
“The United States is a proud partner with the Government of Pakistan to help stem the tide of this deadly pandemic and these ventilators will help with that fight,” said Ambassador Paul W. Jones.
The ventilators can also be used to provide non-invasive respiratory therapy for patients before they become critically ill and help avoid the need for more extreme care, the US embassy said. In addition, these ventilators can help treat a number of other respiratory ailments outside of the Covid-19 virus, including pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“Through a specialized training program developed with the National Disaster Management Authority and the Federal and Provincial Ministries of Health, and with funding from USAID, Pakistan will have a stronger arsenal with which to fight Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses,” the US embassy statement said.
“The United States is contributing more than $28 million in new funding so far for Covid-19 response to this vital partnership that is growing every day.”
