Last Updated on April 13, 2020, 9:49 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Health Minister Nickolas Steele has said that Grenada is using non-traditional international travel routes to get the necessary medical supplies to fight the COVID-19 battle and also that Venezuela is assisting the country in that effort.
Steele said at a virtual news conference yesterday that Venezuela has been providing logistical support and he informed the journalists that a Venezuelan aircraft containing more testing equipment is scheduled to arrive at Maurice Bishop International Airport.
This is the second time that Venezuela is providing in general logistics for Grenada but not just Grenada, but for other islands in the OECS [Organization of Eastern Caribbean States] as well.
Steele said that Dominica and St Vincent and Grenadines are the other islands being benefitted by Venezuela’s humanitarian gesture.
The assistance from the side of Venezuela has come amid the COVID-19 pandemic when there is a global fight for supplies.
Steele said that working out the logistics for getting medical supplies to the island nation is one of the biggest challenges which are faced by Grenada.
He added that a lot of the equipment in Grenada is procured.
He also said that Grenada has been fortunate enough to avoid equipment in the USA. Still, in order to get it here, Grenada had to find non-traditional ways to get the equipment, and for that, the country has to thank the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Grenada recently became capable of testing for the virus on the island, through an arrangement with St George University, WINDREF – the University’s Research Department; the Caribbean Public Health Agency and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as part of continuous efforts to improve the island’s ability to fight COVID-19.
The administrators of the General Hospital and the Ministry of Health also began using a specially prepared ten-bed isolation unit for patients who will require hospital care.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
