DILI, 25 february 2022 (TATOLI) – World Health Organization (WHO) handed over COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits to the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Timor-Leste with generous support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The Republic of Korea, through Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), contributed US$165.000 for the procurement of the 50.000 COVID-19 Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits to strengthen the capacity of Timor-Leste’s National Health Laboratory for Covid-19 in the country.
WHO’s Health Policy Advisor (WHO), Vinay Bortha, and KOICA’s Country Director Eunju Cha jointly handed over the 50.000 RDT kits to the Director-General of Health Service Delivery, Odete da Silva Viegas, at the office of the Ministry of Health, in Dili, on friday.
This assistance will help to boost Timor-Leste’s testing capacity to respond to the COVID-19 challenge.
As of february 17, the total number of CODIV-19 cases in Timor-Leste reached 22.047, out of 243.477 tested. Daily counts of the cases have soared up since early this month with more than 100 new cases per day.
KOICA and WHO has supported the Ministry of Health for successful implementation of the Integrated NTDs Elimination and Control program since 2016. Through these concerted efforts with the strong leadership of the government, the elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (LF), the control of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases (STH), and the interruption of transmission of yaws as a public health problem are now in sight in Timor-Leste.
“We are delighted to be able to assist the Ministry of Health to keep the country safe and secure in this challenging time. We have observed how successfully Timor-Leste has controlled the pandemic. We hope today’s contribution can expedite the progress toward a normal life in Timor-Leste,” Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Kim Jeong Ho, said in a statement on friday.
When SARS-CoV-2 began spreading in Timor-Leste, WHO in collaboration with KOICA immediately repurposed and mobilized resources for timely and effective support to the Timorese government’s fight against the global pandemic. Donating 100 medical beds and 500 isolation bed sets for isolation and treatment facilities as part of the collaborative efforts. Once again, WHO and KOICA have come to the aid of Timor-Leste by providing 50.000 test kits.
“On behalf of the Ministry of Health and the people of Timor-Leste, I would like to sincerely express my appreciation and gratitude for the continued and considerate support to respond to COVID-19 in Timor-Leste,” said Odete da Silva Viegas, the Director-General of Health Service Delivery of the Ministry of Health.
“The recent surge of Omicron urges us to gear up one more time to combat this virus. 50,000 RTDs will definitely enable much earlier identification and isolation of COVID-19 Page 2 of 2 cases through increased testing capacity and be used as a frontline tool in cases detection, especially in rural, and remote areas,” WHO Representative in Timor-Leste, Arvind Mathur said in a statement.
Related news:KOICA provides financial support of $7.8 million to implement the project “Say No to 5S”
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Rafy Belo
