Belmopan – In two separate ceremonies today in Belmopan, U.S. Ambassador Michelle Kwan donated equipment and supplies to Ministry of Health and Wellness and to Belize Fire Department to help both with providing lifesaving care to the Belizean public. The two donations were both made through the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Humanitarian Assistance Program, coordinated by the U.S. Embassy Security Cooperation Office.
At an afternoon ceremony at Western Regional Hospital, Ambassador Kwan donated three oxygen generators and medical equipment valued at USD $678,000 to Minister of Health and Wellness Hon. Kevin Bernard, which will support Belize in rendering essential lifesaving care. Earlier that morning, Ambassador Kwan had donated USD $113,000 to Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management Hon. Orlando Habet to better equip the firefighters to train, plan and respond to emergencies.
This USD $678,000 donation to the Ministry of Health and Wellness will include three state of the art oxygen generators that will provide Belize with a long-term sustainable solution to support the country’s media oxygen needs. The donation will also contain 16 hospital beds, and hundreds of medical equipment items. The USD $113,000 donation to the Belize Fire Department will provide needed furniture, appliances, tools, and generators to outfit several fire stations across Belize.
As Ambassador Kwan noted, “These two projects reflect the strong partnership between Belize and the United States to better protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of the Belizean people. We are proud to stand with Belize to advance a safer and healthier future for all Belizeans.”
Since 2021, the U.S. Southern Command Humanitarian Assistance Program has donated ventilators, a mobile field hospital, medical services and supplies worth over USD $3.5M to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. In May 2021, U.S. Government handed over a state-of-the-art fire station in Belmopan to the National Fire Service funded by U.S. Southern Command Humanitarian Assistance Program.
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