The United States has handed over 200 ventilators to the Federal Government on Tuesday.
This is in fulfillment of the promise made by the US President Donald Trump during a telephone conversation with his Nigerian counterpart, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in April 2020.
The medical equipment was handed over to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, at a ceremony in Abuja this morning.
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, while receiving the ventilators on behalf of the Nigerian Government from the United States Agency for International Development at a ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday, said life had not been the same for Nigerians since the first COVID-19 case was recorded in February.
He said, “This donation consists of 200 ventilators, which, as we all know by now, are a critical component of the response strategy to save the lives of persons who have been severely impacted by this viral infection.
“They will certainly be of great benefit to the people of Nigeria and I wish to convey the appreciation of His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and of the government of Nigeria, to President Donald Trump and the United States Government for the generous consideration and friendly gesture.
“The Federal Ministry of Health, and its public health Agency, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, have focused on providing guidance to tackle the challenges.
“Our health workers have been trained and equipped and are doing the needful to attend to COVID-19 patients and give emergency care, while not losing sight of routine and essential health services.”
