ADF STAFF
The United States ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) personally delivered supplies to assist five hospitals in Kinshasa that are fighting the COVID-19 outbreak.
On May 16, Ambassador Mike Hammer visited Hospital Saint Joseph and handed over boxes of supplies that included patient monitoring equipment, sterilization devices, hand-washing stations and infrared thermometers.
“The United States is one of the largest partners of the Congo, especially in the health sector with their contributions and their support in the fight against different illnesses and against this epidemic,” said Dr. Eteni Longondo, Congolese minister of health.
At the end of the ceremony, Longondo spoke to a crowd of sick patients waiting for treatment and announced that the Congolese government would pay for their hospital bills.
In all, the U.S. has pledged $29 million to the DRC as the Central African country grapples with the spread of COVID-19. This includes money spent for equipment donations, health and wellness programs, aid to refugees, remote learning programs, and public awareness campaigns.
The U.S. also has brought experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to work in Kinshasa and assist laboratories and the DRC’s National Response Committee. The CDC recently trained 300 Congolese epidemiologists on how to handle COVID-19 responsibilities.
“They were here during the Ebola outbreak, they are working on COVID-19 and they will stay long after the end of this crisis,” Hammer said of the CDC experts. “Their engagement to improve the health of the Congolese people is permanent.”
With a population of more than 84 million, the DRC has reported nearly 1,600 confirmed cases and 61 deaths from COVID-19.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also has contributed $1.5 million to help establish the new Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale lab that will be able to do rapid diagnostic testing for a variety of diseases in eastern DRC.
USAID annually invests more than $200 million on disease-fighting programs that reach more than 33 million Congolese, the U.S. Embassy said.
The U.S. is the DRC’s largest bilateral donor and the largest financial contributor to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC.
Over the past 20 years, the U.S. has given almost $6.5 billion to the DRC, $1.6 billion of which was earmarked for health matters. U.S. officials also hope to help establish a CDC-like institution in the DRC to build upon the nation’s experience in responding to disease epidemics.
“This constitutes the proof, if any was needed, of the greatness of the partnership between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United States and the sincerity of the friendship between the two countries,” said Bernadette Mpanzu, Congolese provincial health minister, during the May 16 ceremony. “Together we will defeat this pandemic.”
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