SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The World Health Organization (WHO) handed over more than 20 tons of urgently needed medical technologies to the Kurdistan Region, the United Nations to Iraq said.
In a statement, the WHO said the 117-pallet consignment contained a variety of medical devices, mechanical and intensive care unit beds, personnel protection equipment and in-kind medical furniture.
The medical technologies would contribute to “boosting the quality of medical care services and enhancing the local health authority’s preparedness to encounter a potential transmission” of Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Kurdish Health Minister Saman Barzinji said hundreds of thousands of people would ensure better access to essential and emergency health care services, according to the statement.
“This shipment of emergency medical supplies will surely make a difference in the quality and quantity of health care services delivered in our health institutions,” Barzinji was quoted as saying.
WHO Representative Ahmed Zouiten expressed “concerned” about the recent surge in coronavirus infections in the country.
“We are concerned about the recent drive in case numbers which we see as a call for a collective action to promote the local prevention and vaccination efforts,” he said.
In 2021, the WHO supported the Kurdish ministry of health with medical equipment and pharmaceuticals worth of over $2.5 million, according to the WHO.
