A second consignment of personal protective equipment and medical supplies has arrived from New Zealand to support Fiji’s COVID-19 containment efforts.

New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, Jonathan Curr says over 13 tonnes of medical PPE worth $700,000 has been sent from Auckland to further boost the Ministry of Health capacity to fight the virus.

This follows the initial deployment of 3 tonnes of PPE worth $200,000 that was sent in May.

Curr says Aotearoa New Zealand is a close friend of Fiji and as natural partners they come to each other’s assistance during these challenging times.

He adds their priority is to work in solidarity by sharing resources and supporting the whanau in the COVID-19 response.

Curr says that more medical PPE and supplies from New Zealand will aid the health system’s preparedness and boost testing and surveillance efforts.

PPE for healthcare workers includes gowns, face shields, goggles, gloves, disposable face masks, shoe covers, bouffant caps and other supplies such as infrared thermometer, anti-bacterial tabs, biohazard bags, swab kits and many more.

This support is complemented by an additional $14 million to support the Fijian Government’s COVID-19 response and civil society organizations working with vulnerable households, as announced on 21 June by Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta.

New Zealand has also partnered with Australia to deploy a Medical Assistance Team to work alongside the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to provide immediate support for health system management and infection prevention control.

The other areas of support include procuring a RT-PCR testing machine and necessary consumables for Fiji Centre of Disease Control to expand its testing capacity.

Supplies for airvos and ventilators were also shipped from New Zealand to facilitate hospital preparedness.

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