Bahamas receives PPE donation from Qatar

NASSAU, Bahamas, Feb. 13, CMC –  The Gulf State of Qatar  has made a significant donation to government of The Bahamas, in an effort to help the country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) valued at US$150,000, was tagged as a demonstration of the Qatar Government’s deep appreciation for those who serve on the front lines of the fight against the global coronavirus pandemic, and its commitment to provide assistance to those in need.

Highlighting the long-held belief that success in the fight against COVID-19 rests with recognising that human capital is the greatest resource, the territory’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar, Tony S. Joudi, stated that although the pandemic requires social distancing, it really has brought people closer to one another.

The PPE supplies which were purchased from Bahamian medical supplies vendor, Ports International, will be distributed to frontline health workers across the public health system.

On receiving the funds from Qatar earlier this week,  Ambassador Joudi publicly expressed thanks to Permanent Secretary Carl Smith of the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, for his efforts to source the PPE supplies locally – stating that  investing in Bahamian companies was a priority for the Government of Qatar.

Joudi summarised the donation by saying, “ So we are here today in this PHA warehouse and we are looking at this product that came imported from the US, via, a Bahamian company, Ports International; and we were able to get the donation via the State of Qatar through their Embassy in Cuba.”

Smith noted that the donation resulted from a collaboration between the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Ministry of Health  and its partner the Public Hospitals Authority through the Emergency Operations Centre.

Officially receiving the supplies on behalf of the PHA was Deputy Director of the Supplies Management Agency, Audley Bain who expressed appreciation on behalf of the Public Hospitals Authority.

“This product that we have received from the State of Qatar, it is top quality, so we are really grateful to the people of Qatar, and this is just a great day for us.  As we continue to fight the pandemic, these items will go a long way in helping us to do what we need to do.  We know 3M, it is great product, it has been around for years, so we say thank you, thank you, thank you.”

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