A Lao man wears face mask when doing exercise (Source: Time)Vientiane (VNA) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on May 25 approved aloan worth 20 million USD to support Laos’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its statement,the bank said that the loan is additional financing to the Greater MekongSubregion (GMS) Health Security Project in order to help the Lao HealthMinistry in procuring personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment,testing kits, medical devices, and ambulances.
It will also helpthe government provide supplies and training to frontline health workers oninfection prevention and control, lab testing, and clinical care for COVID-19patients, and cover the government’s costs for contact tracing, riskcommunications, and other interventions.
ADB HealthSpecialist Ye Xu said that the additional financing will boost the resourcesand capacity of the Lao health system to address the impacts of the pandemic.
“The Lao PDR hasbeen managing the outbreak relatively well, thanks to improved communicabledisease surveillance and response capacity over the last decade. It still needsto maintain maximum preparedness and strengthen the health care service systemto be able to respond to any resurgence of COVID-19,” Ye added.
As of May 25, Laosreported only 19 COVID-19 cases, with 14 given the all-clear. However, ADB saidthat the country is highly vulnerable, as the outbreak in the region forcesmany migrant workers to return from heavily affected neighboring countries. Thehealth system, with limited medical personnel, supplies, and equipment, couldbe overwhelmed by the rapid spread of the virus./.
VNA
