ADB supports Philippines in COVID-19 fight

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan worth 125 million USD to support the Philippines to strengthen its capacity in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Vũ Thị LộcTuesday, August 25, 2020 16:15

Hanoi (VNA) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB)has approved a loan worth 125 million USD to support the Philippines tostrengthen its capacity in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19pandemic.

TheManila-based bank said on August 25 that the Health System Enhancement toAddress and Limit (HEAL) COVID-19 project will enable the Department of Health(DOH) to improve health services across the country through the upgrading ofmedical equipment and related training.

ADBVice-President Ahmed Saeed said that the project will help improve thepreparedness and resilience of the country's health systems at the national andlocal levels in handling current and future public health threats.

ADBPrincipal Social Sector Specialist for Southeast Asia Sakiko Tanaka said thatthe project will help the government scale up its ability to conduct COVID-19tests, surveillance, and infection prevention and control, and provide criticalcare equipment to improve treatment outcomes.

Accordingto the ADB, the government is seeking to more than double the daily COVID-19testing capacity to 75,000 by the end of the year, compared with nearly 31,000as of August 15. The Philippines now has 194,252 confirmed COVID-19 cases,including 3,010 deaths./.

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#Asian Development Bank (ADB)#the Philippines #COVID-19 pandemic #ADB Vice-President Ahmed Saeed #Vietnam #Vietnam news #Vietnam News Agency

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