The German Representative Office in Ramallah today handed over to the Palestinian Ministry of Health 50 German-made ventilators to support its readiness for the Corona response.
The state-of-the-art machines, made by the German company Dräger, will help to increase the capacities of the Palestinian Health system significantly. In the current crisis, they will equip additional Covid-19 wards for patients in need for ventilation.
“We all hope that the spread of the Coronavirus will be contained, and those ventilators will never be needed to treat Covid-19 patients”, said Michael Herold, Deputy Head of the German Representative Office. “But if need be, they can save lives and will also in the future represent a substantial improvement in treatment capacities in Palestine.”
Mai Alkaila, Minister of Health, thanked the German government for this support.
“Germany has shown fast and flexible support to Palestine. The current pandemic has imposed new challenges to the Palestinian health sector, especially under the critical financial crisis and limited resources,” she said. “The donated ventilators are very important and highly needed at Palestinian hospitals in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Thanks to the outstanding dedication of health workers and great coordination efforts, we were able to respond to the crisis and prevent a catastrophic scenario.”
Fifteen ventilators will be shipped to Gaza, where they will be mainly used in the Covid-19 wards of the dedicated Corona treatment center at Gaza European Hospital.
“The Corona situation in Palestine remains critical, with equipment and supply gaps particularly challenging in the Gaza Strip” Gerald Rockenschaub, WHO head of office for the occupied Palestinian Territory remarked. “While public health measures have helped control the spread of the virus, we need to remain vigilant over the coming weeks and months; the health system needs to get ready to manage further challenges, with the flu season about to start and some restrictions getting gradually lifted. Better equipped treatment facilities will be crucial for saving lives.”
