The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on Friday that a sum of USD 174 million will be lent to 64 nations including India which is set to receive $2.9 million to bolster the international’s community fight against the deadly Coronavirus.
This aid is in addition to the USD 100 million already lent in the month of February and is a collaborative effort of various agencies including the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
According to USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick, this builds on US leadership in the world health systems. He said:
“ For decades, the US has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health. The US has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions and
promoted the stability of communities and nations”.
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This amount will be used by the nations to strengthen health care systems, train medical personnel and build disease prevention systems.
The US State Department said that India will be receiving USD 2.9 million to strengthen testing facilities, prevents community transmissions and build on existing infrastructure.
They said:
“ This builds upon the foundation of more than USD 1.4 billion in health assistance out of the more than USD 2.8 billion in US assistance for India over the last 20 years.
The South Asian region has received the following amounts:
Sri Lanka- USD 1.3 million
Nepal- USD 1.8 million
Bangladesh- USD 3.4 million
Afghanistan- USD 5 million
The world is struggling to deal with the virus and more than 3 billion people, globally, are in a state of lockdown.