Kinshasa – The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has donated 50 brand-new, state-of-the-art ventilators to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to assist its fight against COVID-19. The donation delivers on President Trump’s generous offer of these critically needed supplies and supports DRC’s urgent response to the pandemic.
The ventilators, produced in the United States, reflect leading-edge and in-demand technology. They are compact, deployable, and provide the DRC with flexibility in treating patients affected by the virus. For patients whose lungs are not working adequately despite receiving oxygen, this vital resource may prove lifesaving.
“We hope these brand-new, quality machines will save countless lives as we all work together to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mike Hammer, U.S. Ambassador to the DRC. “By providing these ventilators to the Government of DRC, the U.S. Government is reiterating its commitment to work hand in hand with the Congolese people in our Privileged Partnership for Peace and Prosperity,” he added.
In addition to the ventilators, USAID is funding a tailored package of support that includes accompanying equipment, service plans, and technical assistance. This donation builds on the approximately $35 million the U.S. Government has committed to the DRC in response to the pandemic. U.S. Government support includes technical assistance for logistics and commodities supply chains to ensure critical COVID-19 medicines reach their intended destinations; increasing hygiene awareness and countering misinformation, strengthening clinical care, building lab capacity, improving disease surveillance and contact tracing, and more.
For decades, the United States has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in health. Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously funded more than $100 billion in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance.
Through an All-of-America approach, the United States is providing life-saving support by coordinating with the Government of the DRC and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for investment. Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.
For more information about USAID’s response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus-covid-19
