Africa-Press – Uganda. The government of Czech Republic through its Foreign Affairs ministry has donated additional 100 intensive care unit beds and an unspecified number of AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Uganda.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Ministry headquarters on Thursday, Mr Martin Tlapa, the Czech Republic deputy foreign affairs minister, said his visit to Uganda is intended to meet officials from the ministries of finance, trade, and health to identify areas of cooperation to show solidarity and goodwill between the Czech Republic and Uganda and agree on areas to start partnerships with each other.
“The Czech Prime Minister decided to include Uganda on the list of countries to receive vaccines to fulfill the government mission to collaborate and doing things together in security, health, and agriculture. 300 Czech hospital beds are already in Uganda and we are working on opening offices for manufacturing Zetor tractors,” he said, adding that it is the reason they officially opened the Czech Consulate in Uganda. He said the vaccine and the beds will arrive in the next two weeks.
Gen. JeJe Odong, Uganda’s foreign affairs minister who received the delegation said the team arrived on Wednesday to determine and agree on areas of cooperation in agriculture in terms of improving the quality and quantity of produces since they have the experience in that sector as well as in tourism.
“We also discussed how best we can work together under the pandemic to improve access to vaccines and equitability of distribution of vaccines in Uganda because that is the only solution to the pandemic. We also discussed areas of defence, the Czech Republic has very good technology we can use to improve our defence,” he said.
Asked which type of vaccines and the quantities they are donating, Mr Tlapa revealed that they are sending the AstraZeneca vaccines through the Covax facility but the amount awaits the decision of their Prime Minister in the next two weeks. He added that they are also discussing with the government how to eliminate trade barriers hindering Ugandan products from accessing their markets.
Asked where they installed the 300 beds, Mr Stephen Kaboyo, Uganda’s consul to the Czech Republic said last year when the country was facing the challenge of acquiring ICU beds, the Czech government donated 300 beds which were installed in Mulago Hospital and International Hospital Kampala.
“In two weeks we shall be adding 100 beds which are coming with the technical teams to trains Ugandans how to maintain them, production of medical equipment, and also open a service centre for the production of medical equipment whenever they are needed,” he said.
According to Mr Tlapa, they are also planning to help the government to start provision of upgrading services for hospitals and health centres and they have also submitted a proposal to the government on how to start manufacturing the Zetor Tractors which have a history of over 100 years.
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