As coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continue to increase in the Philippines, the Japanese government is providing the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) and San Lazaro Hospital laboratory equipment and supplies to boost their testing capacity and help ensure the quality of test results.
According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the medical equipment and supplies will complement an earlier P23.54 billion COVID-19 Crisis Emergency Support loan to the Philippines to strengthen its response to the pandemic and revitalize economic activities.
“COVID-19 is not only a challenge of one nation but of the rest of the world. JICA will continue to work closely with our partner nations like the Philippines, as we have done in the past, so we can get through this public health challenge together,” JICA Philippines Chief Representative Eigo Azusikawa said in a statement on Thursday.
Both RITM and San Lazaro Hospital are recognized as institutional partners of JICA in addressing public health challenges since the outbreak of cholera in the 1960s.
It was earlier reported that the Philippines is now ranked second in Southeast Asia in the total number of COVID-19 cases at 72,269 (as of July 22, 2020) next to Indonesia’s 91,751.
Along with the rising COVID-19 cases, government statistics also pointed to the high unemployment rate in the country due to the effect of the pandemic on the economy. (Roy Mabasa)
