US Donates 250 ventilators to Ethiopia in Response to COVID-19

Addis Abeba August 5/ 2020  (ENA) The U.S. government has donated a shipment of 250 state-of-the-art ventilators and other critical care equipment to assist Ethiopia with its response to COVID-19. 

US Ambassador to Ethiopia, Michael Raynor handed over the donation to Minister of Health,  Lia Tadesse in a  ceremony held in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

Ambassador Raynor said on the occasion that the donation is a critical addition to the billions of dollars in resources and expertise that the American people have invested in Ethiopia’s health system in recent years.

“I am honored to join Dr. Lia Tadesse to hand over this new equipment and to continue our work together, mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and helping Ethiopia save lives,” the Ambassador added.

Dr. Lia Tadesse on her part thanked the US government for the donation and said: “ the United States and Ethiopia share a long history of cooperation and the support of the United States Government over the years has helped strengthen and enhance the Ethiopian health system.”

According to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, this donation builds on more than 71 million USD that the United States has committed so far to Ethiopia in response to the pandemic, which is helping to strengthen clinical care, disseminate health messages, and build lab capacity among other things.

The U.S. government investments in the well-being of the Ethiopian people have totaled more than13 billion USD over the past 20 years – with nearly 4 billion USD in health alone, according to the Embassy.