UNICEF hands over 200 oxygen concentrators to the Ministry of Public Health

Antananarivo, 08 June, 2021: UNICEF today handed over 200 oxygen concentrators to the Ministry of Public Health. This equipment will benefit mild/moderate COVID-19 patients who are undergoing COVID-19 treatment in referral hospitals.

These 200 units from UNICEF global supply hub in Copenhagen will complement the 3,400 concentrators, including the 1,400 units purchased with the World Bank PCU and 2,000 more from the presidential initiative (including the Ministry of Public Health). They will be deployed as a priority in health centres, district, regional and central hospitals that need them the most.

" It is certainly nothing new to say that this pandemic is still at the heart of health problems in Madagascar and we are still combatting the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the reason why all stakeholders are joining forces to contribute in facing it, we will not give up before achieving victory," recalls Professor Rakotovao Hanitrala Jean Louis, Minister of Public Health.

"These 200 oxygen concentrators will not only contribute to the government's efforts in meeting oxygen needs in the fight against Covid-19, but they will also provide a vital form of treatment for patients treated for other illnesses," said Michel-Saint-Lot, UNICEF Representative in Madagascar. "By strengthening the country's health system, patients, newborns and elderly persons will benefit from better care. "