In support of the response to COVID-19, PAHO/WHO donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the protection of personnel of certain hospitals of the Ministry of Public Health (MoH) and to the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (ESSI).
The donation comprises 1,000 disposable surgical gowns, 200 protective glasses, 300 KN95 masks, 1,000 surgical masks, 1,000 surgical gloves, and 250 facial protective shields for each of the hospitals in Ibarra, Guaranda, Santo Domingo de los Colorados, the Manta ESSI Hospital and the Santa Ana Health Center in Manabí.
As hospitals and health centers in Ecuador are under pressure to respond to the pandemic and attend to people who have been infected and those likely to have respiratory symptoms, there is a great demand for supplies, and the Vice Minister of Health highlighted the continuous support of PAHO / WHO in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PAHO / WHO representative draws attention to the need to give priority access to protective material for people working in the health sector and at higher risk. With the help of funding from Canada, Ecuador purchased 850 million tons of personal protection supplies for the MoH & ESSI and is the first country that is buying equipment through WHO. The Director General of ESSI appreciates the joint work the MoH and IESS are doing to save the lives of Hondurans with the support of PAHO/WHO.