The Government of Japan, with the help of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has granted equipment to strengthen cold chain and supply systems in the Maldives. This is part of the support to the ongoing national COVID-19 pandemic response.
The items were officially handed over to the Maldives during a ceremony held on October 27. The items were handed over to Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem by UNICEF Representative to the Maldives Marjan Montazemi and the Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Keiko Yanai.
The items granted to the Maldives under this initiative include freeze free vaccine carriers, temperature monitoring devices/tool kits, personal protection equipment (PPE) for vaccination staff and related ICT equipment as well as the setting up of a vaccine store. The delivered items, combined with upcoming supplies in the pipeline and additional technical support worth over USD 950,000, will address immediate capacity gaps in the health system needed to continue the COVID-19 response as well as strengthen the national immunisation programme.
The Government of Japan has been a firm supporter of the Government and people of the Maldives in its COVID-19 response since the initial outbreak of the virus. The Japanese embassy has worked very closely with the government authorities and international organizations to strengthen the capacity to respond to COVID-19 public health emergency and to revitalise its socio-economic activities affected by the pandemic. Since 2020, Japan has committed numerous grants to the Maldives health sector to address the urgent needs by providing emergency supplies and to mitigate the negative economic impacts.