KOICA Provides Medical Supplies Worth $50,000 to Paraguay Friendship Hospital

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA announced on the 29th (local time) that it provided COVID-19 prevention supplies worth $50,000 (approximately 60 million KRW) to San Pedro State Hospital to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) at the Korea-Paraguay Friendship Hospital and to strengthen the local residents' capacity to respond to COVID-19.

The prevention supplies provided this time consist of essential medical items for infection prevention for healthcare workers and visiting patients, including protective suits, medical masks, and cleansing alcohol.

KOICA is also establishing a system that allows local residents, whose economic activities have been halted due to the COVID-19 crisis, to elect resident representatives themselves and activate an emergency contact network with the hospital to respond quickly in emergencies. At the same time, KOICA is conducting COVID-19 action manuals, sex education, and proper nutrient intake education to enhance the local residents' capacity to respond to COVID-19 infections.

San Pedro State Hospital, which opened in 2012 with KOICA's support, is located in Santa Rosa City, San Pedro Province, more than 300 km away from Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. While the metropolitan area and the central-southern region with large cities and concentrated populations can expect a certain level of medical services, the northern region with a smaller population lacks most convenience facilities, especially medical facilities.

Accordingly, KOICA has built a general hospital in San Pedro Province in the northern region, equipped with about 100 inpatient beds and a 24-hour emergency room, providing various medical benefits to more than 400,000 San Pedro residents.

Recently, as Paraguay continues to report about 100 new confirmed COVID-19 cases daily, San Pedro State Hospital has been designated as a COVID-19 response base hospital in the region, focusing on local quarantine and COVID-19 prevention.

At the donation ceremony, Shin Man-sik, head of KOICA Paraguay Office, said, “In global disaster situations like COVID-19, it is essential to prioritize the support of medical and health supplies. Moreover, this project is particularly meaningful because it also includes capacity-building programs that can directly help residents' lives.”

Carlos Jimenez, governor of the province, expressed gratitude, saying, “COVID-19 has caused a critical situation beyond the fear of disease infection to the contraction of economic activities among residents. KOICA’s support of medical and health supplies and the local residents' capacity-building program has been a great help for residents to become self-reliant even in difficult circumstances.”

Antonio Olmedo, director of San Pedro State Hospital, said, “During the nationwide COVID-19 crisis, we were worried not only about the shortage of protective equipment for medical personnel but also about infections within the hospital. Thanks to this support of medical and health supplies, we can now protect the lives of not only medical staff but also visiting patients.”

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