Addis Ababa, June 8, 2022(Walta) – A total of 269.55 metric tons of medical equipment have been dispatched to Tigray State over the last five months, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said, adding it has partnered with relevant stakeholders to maintain the provision of integrated health and nutrition services.
In a press statement issued yesterday, the MoH mentioned its closer collaboration with the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as international partners. The partnership is meant to facilitate and deliver essential medicines, and medical and nutrition supplies to the people of Tigray from January to May 2022.
During the period from January to May, the government facilitated the delivery of medical and nutrition supplies to Tigray through different flights by partners. Of which supports, a total of over 46 million Birr worth of medicines and medical supplies have been sent to the Tigray through EPSS in the last five months. “Antiretroviral, cardiovascular, ART and OI drugs, TB drugs, anti-diabetes, and antihypertensive medications, essential antibiotics and other essential medicines have been sent from program and RDF.”
It was stated that a total of 135.45 metric tons of health and nutrition supplies were provided to serve 1,128,750 individuals in Tigray for three months while an estimated 1.2 million USD in medical supplies was provided for essential health services through partners including theWorld Health Organization (WHO). “Moreover, cholera treatment 43.28 metric tons, anti-malaria 0.215 metric tons, covid-19 1.25 metric tons, nutrition 8.852 metric tons, mobile health and nutrition supplies 10.849 metric tons making a total of 64,446 metric tons have been delivered to the needy people of Tigray.”
From the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), around 58.1 metric tons of essential drugs were provided for 484,167 individuals for three months while Hemodialysis supplies and consumables were used for the treatment of 600 sessions. Other partners such as UNICEF, Samaritans Purse, Goal Ethiopia, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Service, CRS, Medical Team International, World Vision, UNFPA, UNHCR, IOM, SCI, Plan International, MSF-H provided over 76 metric tons of medical supplies.
Despite this support, given the high need and the requests by Ayder Hospital in Mekelle, the MoH has prepared additional shipments including anesthetics to deliver through ICRC and WHO. Other donations, such as dialysis consumables, are also in the process of being sent through ICRC, the statement remarked.