ADB $470,000 grant to help Tonga prepare for CoViD-19 [1]
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - 18:47. Updated on Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - 18:47.
The Asian Development Bank today, 7 April announced a grant of $470,000 to help Tonga finance its response to COVID-19 pandemic.
A state of emergency was declared in Tonga on 20 March, and the public health emergency has already impacted Tonga’s health systems in many ways. They include an increased workload on health workers to carry out surveillance and testing at ports of entries, shortages of infection prevention control supplies, and disruptions to outreach services that are essential for maintaining primary health care.
While the Tongan Government’s decisive measures have so far helped to keep the confirmed cases of COVID-19 to zero, the country’s main hospital has limited capacity to quarantine and isolate suspected and confirmed cases, with fewer than 100 beds for dedicated treatment and care of COVID-19 patients.
“ADB’s support will help alleviate Tonga’s immediate financial logistical and other constraints to meet these immediate response needs and deliver appropriate medical services where required” said ADB Health Specialist for the Pacific Inez Mikkelsen-Kopez.