National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) has revealed international organisations have pledged to provide 28 ventilators to the Maldives in order to assist the efforts against COVID-19.
Speaking at the daily press briefing, Spokesperson of NEOC Mohamed Mabrook Azeez said the government has received assurances from multiple international organisations on providing ventilators to support the efforts against COVID-19 in the Maldives. As such, Mabrook noted 18 ventilators have been pledged by the World Bank, while 4 ventilators have been pledged by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He added 3 ventilators have been pledged by both United Nations Childrens' Fund (UNICEF) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
NEOC plans to bring in 200 ventilators to the Maldives to prepare for the worst-case scenario of the spread of COVID-19 in the country. In order to bring in the required amount of ventilators to the Maldives, NEOC has contracted some local companies with the procurement of additional ventilators. In this regard, Nard Private Limited has been contracted to procure 20 ICU bed ventilators and 6 portable ventilators at a cost of USD 539,000. Additionally, Medtech Maldives Private Limited has been contracted to procure 50 ventilators under single source procurement regulations at a cost of USD 909,000.
Furthermore, NEOC is in efforts to procure another 75 ventilators from a company based in the UAE, with the help of World Health Organisation (WHO). These include 65 ICU bed ventilators and 10 portable ventilators, costing a total of USD 2.2 million.
While the government plans to bring in a total of 200 ventilators to the Maldives, the efforts have been hindered by transportation difficulties caused by suspension of international flights.