Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic “bumps elbows” with China’s Ambassador to Barbados, Yan Xiusheng, to thank the Chinese Government for its latest donation of medical supplies. (C.Pitt/BGIS)

Barbados received its seventh batch of medical supplies yesterday from the People’s Republic of China, since the start of the global outbreak of COVID-19.

The latest donation, presented by Chinese Ambassador Yan Xiusheng to Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic, included 5,000 N95 respirators and 40,000 surgical face masks.

Over the last several months, China has assisted Barbados in its response to the pandemic, through donations of surgical masks, N95 respirators, surgical gloves, medical googles and gowns, swabs, test kits, non-contact infrared thermometers and ventilators.

The Chinese donors have included Central Government, the local government of Hunan Province and companies such as China COMPLANT, which is the main contractor on the Sam Lord’s Castle project in St. Philip.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Ambassador Xiusheng revealed that the Embassy had also coordinated with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to invite Chinese frontline medical experts to share their know-how and experience in respect of the pandemic with their Barbadian peers.

He said he was glad to see that the COVID-19 public health threat in Barbados had been “effectively controlled”, and hoped that the latest donation by the People’s Republic of China would contribute to the island’s prevention and containment efforts.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Janet Phillips, expressed the gratitude of the Government and people of Barbados to the People’s Republic of China, noting that both the technical assistance and medical supplies will go a long way in helping to augment the resources necessary to respond to the challenge of COVID-19.

joy.springer@barbados.gov.bb

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