ADB OKs $3-M grant to aid PHL COVID-19 fight

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Saturday approved a $3 million grant to support the Philippine government’s efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The grant would be used for the purchase of emergency medical supplies and the delivery of effective health care services, according to the ADB.

The assistance incorporated the ADB’s “most flexible, expeditious procurement approaches, allows the government to purchase diagnostic reagents and equipment, materials for makeshift hospitals, and personal protection supplies for health workers managing severe COVID-19 cases, among others.”

“ADB’s assistance will help the Philippines, our host country, address the immediate financial and logistical constraints on the provision of emergency medical services during this extraordinary public health emergency,” ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa said. “The assistance will allow the government to purchase key medical supplies and equipment, deliver health services, and minimize the social and economic disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.

“This is the first step in what will be a broader program of working with the government to respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 to health and economic activity.”

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had declared a state of public health emergency on March 8 and upgraded the alert to its highest level on March 12, based on evidence of community transmission.

As of March 14, the Department of Health reported 98 COVID-19 cases across the country, including eight deaths, at least four of them believed to be caused by local transmission.

The ADB said that it would manage the grant, which will be financed by the Asia-Pacific Disaster Response Fund, and work closely with the Department of Health, the World Health Organization, and other United Nations technical agencies to ensure timely delivery of medical supplies.

The new assistance builds on ADB’s previous response to COVID-19, including $200 million made available through ADB’s Supply Chain Finance Program for companies manufacturing and distributing medicines and other items needed to combat the pandemic.

The ADB’s response to date also included $2 million announced on February 7 to enhance detection, prevention, and response in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Greater Mekong Subregion; another $2 million announced on February 26 to support response in all its developing members; and a CNY130 million ($18.6 million) private sector loan, signed on February 25, to Wuhan, PRC-based pharmaceutical distributor Jointown Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. to support the continued supply of essential medicines and personal protective equipment.

The ADB was committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.

Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region. — DVM, GMA News