Afghanistan Receives 100 State-of-the-Art Ventilators from USAID to Help Combat COVID-19

The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated 100 state-of-the-art ventilators to assist Afghanistan in its fight against COVID-19. The ventilators will be distributed to hospitals in the provinces most affected by COVID-19. This donation delivers on President Donald Trump’s generous offer of these life-saving and critically needed supplies and supports Afghanistan’s urgent response to the pandemic.

Made in America, the ventilators reflect the latest in cutting-edge medical design and technology. They are compact, easily deployable, and will enable Afghanistan to more effectively treat patients with COVID-19. They compliment additional technical and humanitarian assistance and training being funded by the United States.

USAID is working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and other relevant stakeholders in Afghanistan to assist in the delivery, transportation, and placement of the ventilators in select health care facilities throughout the country. In the coming weeks, USAID will fund training for health workers to further build capacity in ventilator care.

The Charge d’Affaires for the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, Ambassador Ross Wilson said, “The United States stands with Afghanistan in its fight against COVID-19, which poses an unprecedented global health threat. These American-made ventilators will help Afghan patients in the most acute need of medical care. This compliments our long partnership with the Afghan health sector to improve the well-being of its people.”

The U.S. commitment to Afghanistan’s public health sector is helping to improve and expand COVID-19 testing, infection prevention and control, and patient care. To date, the United States has contributed more than $39 million in new funding to this vital partnership.