WASHINGTON – The World Bank has activated US$4.5 million to provide immediate funding for St Vincent and the Grenadines’ response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, aimed at strengthening the capacity of the health system.
“The World Bank is working closely with St Vincent and the Grenadines to help the health system prepare for the impacts of COVID-19 and to protect people, especially the most vulnerable,” said Tahseen Sayed, the World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean on Tuesday.
The Washington-based financial institution said the financing will be used to improve the ability to isolate patients, increase testing capacity, and purchase critical supplies, including personal protective equipment, mobile isolation units, testing equipment, reagents, gloves and masks.
The bank said the funding will also support preparedness and response capacity for other public health emergencies by increasing access to medical equipment and expanding the capacity of hospitals.
The World Bank said these funds were mobilised under the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Regional Health Project using the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC).
CERCs allow funds to be reallocated from the project to be used for emergency response activities, the World Bank said.
On Monday, the bank said it activated US$6.6 million to provide immediate funding for Dominica’s emergency response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, focusing on enhancing health system capacity and strengthening food security.
From the total amount activated, the financial institution said US$5.1 million will be used to bolster the capacity of Dominica’s public health system to manage COVID-19.
It said funds will be available to purchase drugs, medical supplies and equipment, and laboratory supplies to boost testing capacity and for minor retrofitting of isolation units.
The World Bank said another US$1.5 million will be used to support agriculture and strengthen national food security during the pandemic.
The bank said the intervention is targeted to reach an estimated 3 200 farmers to ensure that the local food supply chains are better able to meet the needs of the island.
The funds for Dominica were mobilized under two projects using CERCs, the World Bank said.
The bank said it is rolling out a US$14 billion fast-track package to strengthen the COVID-19 response in developing countries, such as those in the Caribbean, and shorten the time to recovery.
The immediate response includes financing, policy advice and technical assistance to help countries cope with the health and economic impacts of the pandemic, the World Bank said.
(CMC)