KOICA Supports Bolivia with $550,000 for COVID-19 Response Cooperation... Medical Staff Protective Equipment Delivered

Bolivia Declared Nationwide Self-Quarantine on March 21
COVID-19 Testing Extremely Limited Due to Shortage of Diagnostic Kits... Severe Lack of Protective Equipment for Medical Staff
Plans to Strengthen International Cooperation to Prevent Epidemic Spread

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA announced on the 24th that it will provide $550,000 (approximately 673 million KRW) to Bolivia, a South American partner country, to respond to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Through this, KOICA plans to strengthen international cooperation to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Interim President Jeanine ??ez of Bolivia declared a nationwide self-quarantine on March 21 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, despite the government's strong measures, as of the 22nd, there were 4,919 confirmed cases and 199 deaths. Even these figures cannot guarantee accuracy due to the low number of diagnostic tests conducted. As of the 19th, the cumulative number of diagnostic tests was 17,098, which is about 1,400 tests per one million people. Testing has been limited mainly to high-risk groups, resulting in a high positive rate of 29% per test.

The reason for the low number of tests in Bolivia is not only the insufficient supply of COVID-19 diagnostic kits but also the lack of laboratory materials necessary for testing. Moreover, there is an absence of related policies such as isolation measures for confirmed and contact cases, and there is a severe shortage of protective equipment for medical staff and basic health supplies. Consequently, doctors and nurses at hospitals treating COVID-19 patients have protested due to the lack of minimum safety equipment, and some have even resigned.

In response, KOICA Bolivia Office is supporting COVID-19 response by modifying some activities of existing health projects to strengthen the capacity of host country policymakers and health officials. Specifically, KOICA plans to collaborate with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to ▲ support the establishment and implementation of Bolivia’s national COVID-19 response plan, ▲ enhance the capacity of healthcare workers through COVID-19 response training courses, and ▲ support the operation of infection patient tracking and management systems.

Additionally, KOICA will provide 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment for medical staff urgently needed locally and laboratory supplies for COVID-19 diagnosis. This amount is sufficient for approximately 12,000 diagnostic tests.

At the Korean government’s COVID-19 response support ceremony, Ambassador Kim Hak-jae to Bolivia said, “We have made great efforts to establish appropriate isolation measures and respond promptly to urgent requests for health supplies during the COVID-19 situation. Based on this support, I hope Korea and Bolivia can cooperate to overcome the crisis together,” and added, “We are willing to actively share Korea’s COVID-19 quarantine experience with Bolivia.”

Foreign Minister Karen Longaric stated, “Cultural and economic cooperation between Bolivia and Korea is becoming more active,” and expressed “deep gratitude to the Korean government for responding immediately to Bolivia’s support requests during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Additionally, Health Minister Edy Roca mentioned, “The KOICA health project support targeting Oruro Department will serve as a good example for establishing a dedicated COVID-19 infectious disease response organization, patient tracking, and data management.”

Meanwhile, KOICA Bolivia Office announced that on the 8th, in cooperation with the KOICA trainees alumni association, it provided 11 boxes of RNA extraction kits necessary for COVID-19 diagnosis (enough for 2,750 sample extractions) and will continue humanitarian support to overcome infectious diseases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.