The Republic of Korea has donated Covid-19 laboratory testing equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Accra, to help in the fight against the pandemic.

The items include; 27,000 units of PPEs; 5,000 face shields, 5,000 goggles, 8,500 N95 masks, 8,500 surgical isolation gowns and eight units of Covid-19 testing laboratory equipment made up of 4 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing machines, and four automated Ribonucleic acid(RNA) extractors.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) leveraged the full suite of the procurement instruments, including; emergency procurement procedures to implement the project.

The donation is expected to further strengthen the healthcare sectors capacity in the fight against Covid-19 by supporting frontline healthcare workers to decrease the risk of infection while assuring their duties in the service of Ghanaians.

The Country Director for Korea International Agency (KOICA), Mr Moohen Kong, at the handing over ceremony, said the fight against Covid-19 pandemic is a shared duty.

He said the government of the Republic of Korea would continuously renew its long-lasting commitment as a partner of the government of Ghana, especially during “this trying times.”

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Dr Kwabena Boadu Oku Afari, said the Ministry was grateful to KOICA for its support and collaboration over the years.

“These donations will go a long way to help with the surge in Covid-19 cases we are experiencing in Ghana,” he said.

The Director and Representative of UNOPS Ghana, Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba, indicated that the service was committed to continuing the strategic partnership with the government of Ghana.

He said the Republic of Korea through KOICA would make available its vast procurement capabilities thus emergency procurement procedures to all its partners in the Covid-19 response and management of other health challenges.

The Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Mr Taesoo Kim, lauded the government for its efforts in bringing the pandemic under control in Ghana through excellent leadership.

“I sincerely believe that the Ghanaian government will be able to lead the country and curb the spread of the virus from getting out of hands as the country experiences an increase in cases,” he said.