The Chinese Embassy in Uganda has donated a wide range of specialised gear to be used in the fight against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng said she had received a donation of 2,000 N95 respirators, 10,000 surgical masks, 2,000 protective equipment, 500 thermometers, 2,000 protective goggles,10,000 examination gloves and 10,000 disposable hospital shoe covers from the Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zhuqiang.
She expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for the donation, and added that it will be used
in handling both the suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
Although the current outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 60,000 people globally originated in China, the Chinese government is engaged in an aggressive public relations operation.
China has been a major donor to previous emergencies in Uganda, but the latest gestures of generosity from China, including from the country’s richest man Jack Ma who donated thousands of health gear to all African governments, comes with an increased sense of responsibility by the Chinese people to stop the damage caused by the Coronavirus, sooner rather than later.
This also comes on the back of reports that the Chinese government announced an increase in WHO funding of an additional US$30m, on top of US$20m, that the country has donated to the UN agency since the outbreak started in December 2019.
