PNG has received a US$3 million (K10.6 million) emergency grant from the Government of Japan to combat the effects of COVID-19.
This grant will be contributed to PNG through the United nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
It is part of a US$9.09 million (K35 million) grant from Japan to Pacific Island countries, including PNG.
This is to provide the region with cold chain equipment (CCE), including medical equipment such as cold-storage facilities and transportation, as “last one mile” support to ensure vaccination in each country.
Through this support, UNICEF will procure CCE for COVID-19 vaccines, train health workers to manage the CCE, provide logistical and technical and overall program support.
Those expected to benefit from this support include 298 primary health care facilities, 50 officials, 1,000 health care workers and approximately 1,455,000 people in 22 provinces of PNG.