The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and oxygen concentrators to Egypt’s Ministry of Health to support national efforts to face the COVID-19 crisis.
Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed expressed appreciation for the ICRC’s assistance and for the continued cooperation between the ICRC and her ministry to support the healthcare system and workers.
The ICRC donation, worth 9 million Egyptian pounds, includes 15 oxygen concentrators, masks, gowns and non-touch thermometers. “The ICRC is keen to contribute to the ministry of health’s vital response to the pandemic in its second year. We stand ready to provide further support as needed. This is a global crisis and we are in it together,” said Dr. Gilles Carbonnier, Vice President of the ICRC, during his meeting with the minister.
In the meeting, Minister Zayed and Dr. Carbonnier discussed the ministry’s efforts to combat COVID-19 and ways to enhance cooperation between the ICRC and the ministry of health in different fields, including training for healthcare workers and enhancing access to healthcare in North Sinai.
The ICRC has had a cooperative relationship with the ministry of health since 2014, working on emergency room trauma courses that have involved more than 200 doctors and surgeons. The ICRC has also been working with the Egyptian Ambulance Organization on several training programs, most importantly on mass causality management as well as mental health and psychosocial support for first aiders.
Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis in Egypt, the ICRC has worked on supporting health facilities and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) in their response to the pandemic by donating personal protective equipment.
The ICRC is an impartial, neutral, and independent organization, present in more than 90 countries around the world, including Egypt, where it has been working for over 100 years.
