Japan handed over medical equipment through NPGA to Tonga Featured
His Excellency Mr. MUNENAGA Kensaku, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Tonga and Hon. Saia Piukala, Minister for Health.
14 April, 2022. His Excellency Mr. MUNENAGA Kensaku, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Tonga handed over a range of medical equipment funded through Japan’s Non-Project Grant Assistance, NPGA on Friday, 8 April, 2022 to Hon. Saia Piukala, Minister for Health.
The assistance, worth over 1.5 million USD, consists of three batches. Today’s provision is the second batch, which aims to strengthen the Ministry to tackle various diseases, including COVID-19, with high quality medical equipment made in Japan. The first batch, which provided thermography cameras, infant incubators, and negative pressure booths, was handed over in May, 2021. The third batch will also be arranged later.
H.E. Mr. MUNENAGA Kensaku said, “We do need good facilities and sophisticated equipment so that we could cope with serious cases caused by COVID-19. I sincerely hope our assistance would support the Ministry of Health and its medical team and we could provide essential services to our people when needed.”
“It is our never-ending challenge to improve our entire health service system at all levels,” added the Ambassador.
Hon. Saia Piukala, Minister for Health expressed his sincere gratitude for Japan’s assistance to the Ministry with the much need equipment. He said Japan always helped Tonga in difficult time, especially threefold disasters of the volcanic eruption, tsunami and the surge of COVID-19 community transmission.
The second batch of NPGA medical equipment, $700,000 USD worth, provided; 20 automated external defibrillators (AED), 30 emergency carts, 30 suctions pumps, 3 centrifuges, and 2 ultrasound scanners.
Government Ministries of Tonga especially the Ministry of Health, have benefited with various high-level equipment of multi-million US dollar worth through Japan’s NPGA in previous years.
