UNICEF’s Will Parks (grey suit) and the health ministry’s Youk Sambath (centre) on June 12. UNICEF CAMBODIA
UNICEF Cambodia, as the global partner and lead procurer of the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), has donated $7 million worth of medical equipment for oxygen therapy to the Ministry of Health.
The June 12 handover ceremony took place at the World Food Programme Warehouse was attended by Youk Sambath, health ministry secretary of state, and Will Parks, UNICEF representative in Cambodia, along with other ministry representatives.
A UNICEF press release explained that the donation is part of UNICEF’s ongoing effort to strengthen Cambodia’s health system for equitable primary health care following the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Parks noted that during the pandemic, global access to oxygen was unequal, with the impacts being felt predominantly by low- and middle-income countries.
“We are proud to play a part in addressing this equity gap, while also enhancing Cambodia’s capacity to lifesaving measures for children and their families,” he added.
As part of pandemic its recovery efforts, UNICEF remains committed to supporting the government in ensuring quality and equitable access to primary health care, reducing further child and neonatal mortality, so that all children will have a better chance to reach their full potential, according to Parks.
UNICEF stated that since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, it has provided Cambodia with more than $44 million in supplies, medical and cold chain equipment, Covid-19 vaccines, and medicines thanks to the support of partners such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Governments of Japan, Australia, and the Czech Republic.
Sambath thanked UNICEF for their valuable support in addressing the Covid-19 crisis and ensuring uninterrupted access to essential healthcare services for women and children, including routine immunisation and maternal and neonatal care.
“Our partnership with UNICEF helps enhance our healthcare infrastructure and boosts human resource development. Today’s contribution of oxygen medical supplies is a step towards upgrading our medical equipment and monitoring systems, which can reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates,” she said.
The equipment includes oxygen concentrators, patient monitors, pulse oximeters, resuscitators, and other oxygen therapy accessories.
They will be distributed to 131 health facilities, including national, provincial and district hospitals and health centres across the country, in the coming weeks, according to the press statement.
