Korea Donates 470,000 USD Worth COVID-19 Prevention Medical Instruments

Addis Ababa, May 12/2020( ENA) The Government of Korea has donated COVID-19 prevention medical instruments worth about 470 thousand USD to Ministry of Health today.

The 470,00 USD assistance included testing kits, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, and masks.  

During the handing over ceremony, Health Minister of Dr. Lia Tadesse expressed her gratitude for the continuous support and solidarity by the Korean government and the Korean community in Ethiopia.

"It is a great pleasure for us today to receive the donations made by the Korean government, in collaboration with Korean non-governmental organizations, in the fight for COVID-19," she said, adding that the "testing kits are really critical this time for the expansion of testing to mitigate the virus."  

The minister noted that Korea is a close partner of the Government of Ethiopia in many ways, working in the health system by supporting in the strengthening of maternal and child health as well as other areas.

Korea's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Hoonmin Lim said "to beat COVID19 and to recover from the devastation it has wrought, unprecedented level of global solidarity and coordinated action is needed."

He added that the Korean government is prepared to fully share all information and insight garnered in its ongoing fight against COVID19 with partners and the international community.

Ambassador Lim said Ethiopia and Korea have been working to fight the new enemy, COVID19, and emerge victorious; and the embassy will exert its utmost effort to strengthen solidarity with Ethiopia in order to overcome this crisis along with the entire Korean community, including private and non-governmental entities in Ethiopia.

The Korean government will supply additional supplies such as test kits and prevention supplies where Ethiopia needs utmost, the ambassador pledged. "This is the first round of support and the next round of support will continue."

Details of today's support, according to the embassy, are testing kits worth 250 thousand USD;

disinfectant worth 30 thousand USD, hand sanitizer 30 thousand USD; masks and cash 100 thousand USD or three million Birr;  masks worth 50 thousand USD; and face shield masks and transportation estimated 10 thousand USD.