France Donates PPE, Testing Kits Worth UGX 10Bn to Uganda

The French government has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing kits worth 10.8 Billion Shillings to support Uganda’s efforts against COVID-19.

The items include one million face masks (FFP2), 54,600 Antigen testing kits and nine Osiris3 respirators. URN

Jules–Armand Aniambossou, the French Ambassador to Uganda handed over the items on Tuesday to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and the Health Minister Dr Ruth Aceng.

Aniambossou noted that the donation will boost efforts to protect health workers during the pandemic.

This is the second time, the French Government is boosting the country’s fight against covid-19.  Last month, the French government donated 175,200 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine through the COVAX Facility.

Dr Aceng says the donation is timely and that the items will be distributed to all the health facilities across the country.

Addressing the media, Nabbanja said that the National Medical Stores- NMS should deliver the first batch of PPE to Kapchorwa district.  She explained that she had received reports that health facilities in the district are lacking PPEs.

The donation from the French government comes at a time when there are reports of a lack of PPEs in major health facilities in the country.

Last month, Health workers at Masindi General Hospital have laid down their tools due to a lack of Personal Protective Equipment-PPE, leaving several Covid-19 patients stranded.