USAID and UNICEF hand over additional medical equipment and supplies to support Timor-Leste’s COVID-19 response and health system recovery

24 OCTOBER 2022. DILI, Timor-Leste – Today, the United States—through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) handed over a range of critical medical equipment and supplies to support the national COVID-19 response and health system recovery process. 

The provision of medical equipment and supplies is part of an ongoing $2.4 million partnership between USAID to UNICEF to improve healthcare services at hospitals, increase coverage of essential maternal, newborn, and child health services, and improve access to information on vaccines and COVID-19 prevention.

The consignment of medical equipment was handed over to dr. Odete Maria Freitas Belo, Minister of Health, by U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tom Daley and Ainhoa Jaureguibeitia, UNICEF Deputy Representative at a ceremony held at the SAMES warehouse in central Dili. 

The medical equipment included 50 oxygen concentrators and personal protective equipment (PPE) adequate to cater to health service requirements for several months. In addition, Infection Prevention and Control packages, each consisting of 25 items in varying quantities, were handed over to 15 Community Health Centers. This package includes equipment such as instrument sterilizers, and other items such as biohazard bags, gloves, boots, buckets, as well as cleaning and disinfecting solutions. 

“USAID and UNICEF have been critical partners in helping Timor-Leste fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the vaccination campaign, and have continued to support us sustain and build up our health system to treat and provide emergency and regular services to children and families,” said Dra. Odete Maria Freitas Belo, Minister of Health. 

The provision of medical equipment builds on existing joint support by USAID and UNICEF. 

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has worked side-by-side with the Government of Timor-Leste to provide over 200,000 Pfizer vaccines and over $6.4 million in critical assistance to fight COVID-19,” said Chargé Daley.  “We are proud to partner with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF to support Timor-Leste’s COVID-19 response and strengthen health security to prevent future pandemics.”

To date, several hundred thousand people in five municipalities have benefited from COVID-19 response activities through the partnership between USAID, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Health.  This has been achieved through the improvement of WASH facilities in 20 Community Health Centers (CHCs) in five municipalities; awareness raising on COVID-19 prevention and vaccine uptake through advocacy meetings, deployment of social mobilization coordination personnel and door-to-door mobilization in four municipalities; and provision of IPC packages to 18 CHCs.  In addition, UNICEF has also commenced the process for WASH improvements in 13 additional CHCs.

“The equipment we are providing today will help ensure Timor-Leste’s health system is able to adequately treat patients suffering from severe COVID-19 infection, pneumonia and other diseases requiring specialized care, while ensuring the health system is well equipped to also provide essential health services to children and their families across Timor-Leste,” said Ainhoa Jaureguibeitia, UNICEF Deputy Representative. “We should avoid, at all costs, an outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease or a breakdown in health services due to a lack of equipment. This support will go toward mitigating the occurrence of this scenario.”

UNICEF has been supporting Timor-Leste’s national COVID-19 response since early 2020, and has contributed to improving access to health services, including essential services for nutrition, routine immunization and healthcare for mothers and children, improving access to distance learning and safer schools, helping set up systems and expanding child protection and social protection interventions. 

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USAID no UNICEF Entrega Ekipamentu no Material Médiku Adisionál Hodi Apoia Timor-Leste nia Resposta ba COVID-19 no sistema rekoperasaun saúde

DILI, Timor-Leste, 24 OCTOBER 2022 – Estadus Unidus liu husi Ajénsia Estadus Unidus ba Dezenvolvimentu Internasionál (USAID) – liu husi parseria ho Fundu Nasoins Unidas nian ba Labarik (UNICEF) – entrega ona ekipamentu no materiál médiku importante sira hodi apoia prosesu responde ba COVID-19 no prosesu sistema rekuperasaun saúde.

Fornesimentu ekipamentu no materiál médiku sira ne’e, parte ida hosi fundu atual millaun $2.4 husi USAID ba UNICEF hodi hadiak servisu saúde nian iha ospitál no sentru izolamentu sira, aumenta kobertura ba servisu esensiál saúde inan, bebé, no labarik nian, no hadiak asesu ba informasaun kona-ba vasinasaun no prevensaun COVID-19. 

Ekipamentu sira ne’e entrega husi Enkaregadu Negósiu Embaixada EUA nian, Tom Daley ho Adjuntu Reprezentante UNICEF Ainhoa Jaureguibeitia ba Dra. Odete Maria Freitas Belo, Ministra Saúde durante serimónia ida iha armazén SAMES iha Dili.

Ekipamentu médiku sira ne'e inklui konsentrador ba oksijéniu hamutuk 50 no ekipamentu protesaun pesoál (PPE sigla Ingés) adekuadu atu responde ba servisu saúde durante fulan balun. Nune’e mos, Pakote Prevensaun no Kontrolu, kompostu husi items 25 ne’ebé iha kuantidade oi-oin ne’ebé sei entrega ba Sentru Saúde Komunitária 15. Pakote ida ne'e inklui ekipamentu sira hanesan instrumentu esterilizasaun, no sasán sira seluk hanesan saku bioperigozu, luvas, botas, balde no mateiral dezinfetante.

“USAID no UNICEF sai ona parseiru importante atu ajuda Timor-Leste hodi luta hasoru pandemia COVID-19, inklui iha kampaña vasinasaun, no kontinua apoia ami hodi sustenta no harii ami nia sistema saúde hodi fornese atendimentu saúde no servisu emerjénsia no regulár ba labarik no família sira,” tenik Ministra Saúde, Dra. Odete Maria Freitas Belo.

Fornesimentu ekipamentu sira ne’e, parte ida husi apoiu ezistente husi USAID no UNICEF.

“Dezde inísiu pandemia ne’e, Estadus Unidus servisu hamutuk ona ho Governu Timor-Leste hodi oferese vasina Pfizer doze 200,000 no millaun $7.4 liu iha asisténsia krítiku atu kombate COVID-19,” Enkaregadu Negósiu Embaixada EUA, Tom Daley hateten. “Ami orgullu servisu hamutuk ho Ministériu Saúde no UNICEF hodi apoia Timor-Leste hasoru COVID-19 no hametin seguransa saúde hodi prevene pandemia sira seluk iha futuru.”

To’o oras ne’e, ema rihun atus resin iha munisípiu lima sai benefisiáriu ba atividade luta hasoru COVID-19 liu husi parseria entre USAID, UNICEF no Ministériu Saúde. Progressu ne’e hetan liu husi hadiak fasilidade BESI (Bee, Saneamentu no Ijiene – sigla Inglés) iha Sentru Saúde komunitária 15 iha munisípiu lima, sensibilizasaun kona-ba prevensaun no vasina COVID-19 nian hala'o liu husi sorumutu advokasia nian sira, mobilizasaun  pesoál koordenasaun mobilizasaun sosiál no mobilizasaun husi uma ba uma iha munisípiu haat; no fornesimentu pakote IPC (sigla Inglés) nian ba Sentru Saúde Komunitária 18. Aleinde ne'e, UNICEF mós hahú ona prosesu melloramentu ba BESI (sigla Tetun) iha Sentru Saúde Komunitaria adisional 13 no hahú aprovizionamentu ba sosa konsentrador oksijéniu, ekipamentu protesaun pesoál, no materiál médiku sira seluk ba Sentru Saúde Komunitária sira.

“Ekipamentu sira ne'ebé ita fornese daudaun ne'e sei ajuda asegura katak Timor-Leste nia sistema saúde bele halo tratamentu ida ne'ebé adekuadu ba pasiente sira ne'ebé sofre husi infesaun COVID-19 ne'ebé grave, pneumonia no moras sira seluk ne'ebé presiza kuidadu espesializadu, nune'e mós atu asegura servisu esensiál saúde nian ba labarik no sira nia família iha Timor-Leste," dehan Ainhoa Jaureguibeitia, Adjuntu Reprezentante País UNICEF nian. “Ita tenke evita, ho maneira oinsa deit, surtu ne’ebé bele prevene ho vasina ka difisiensia iha atendimentu saúde tanba falta ekipamentu. Apoiu ne'e sei ajuda atu hamenus akontesimentu senáriu ida ne'e nian.”

UNICEF fó ona apoiu hodi luta hasoru COVID-19 dezde inísiu tinan 2020 no kontribui ona hodi hadiak asesu ba servisu saúde, inklui servisu esensiál sira ba nutrisaun, imunizasaun rutina no kuidadu saúde ba inan no labarik sira, hadiak asesu ba eskola distánsia, no eskola ne'ebé seguru liu, tulun estabelese sistema sira no haluan protesaun labarik no intervensaun protesaun sosiál.

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Ba Informasaun liu tan, kontaktu:
Ministériu Saude:
Ivo Ireneu da Conceicao Freitas, Xefe Pillar 2 COVID-19 no Xefe Administrasaun no Relasaun Públika: ivoireneudcf@gmail.com, +670.77230143

USAID/Timor-Leste:
USAID/Timor-Leste Communications Team at diliusaiddocs@usaid.gov +670 77326213

UNICEF:
Rukshan Ratnam, Communication Specialist (English): rratnam@unicef.org; +670.77. 231.103. Antonio Gomez, Communication Officer (Tetun): angomez@unicef.org; +670.77.232.441