Luxembourg provides 1 million euros for response to Covid outbreak
  
The Luxembourg government has provided a budget of over 11.5 billion kip (1 million euros) in assistance to Laos to support the procurement of laboratory equipment, reagents and swabs to meet the high demand for testing during the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg continues to work alongside Laos to strengthen national capacities to detect, assess and respond to the ongoing Covid crisis, the Embassy of Luxembourg in Laos stated.

The funding support was announced on June 10 in the presence of the Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Laos, Mr Sam Schreiner, and Minister of Health, Dr Bounfeng Phommalaisith.
Also present on the occasion were senior members of the Ministry of Health, the National Centre of Laboratory and Epidemiology, Institute Pasteur du Laos, representatives from the Embassy of Luxembourg in Laos, and representatives of the LAO/027 health programme.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Schreiner congratulated the government and people of Laos for the, so far, successful handling of the ongoing crisis and said that a strong Covid-19 response should include, besides a rapid vaccination drive, a comprehensive surveillance and testing strategy. In this regard, support to strengthen laboratory capacity is essential for the rapid detection of positive cases and the rollout of a timely response to contain the spread, he said. Mr Schreiner also stressed the need for close donor coordination with the government in the ongoing fight against Covid-19. In coordination with the Ministry of Health, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation will provide this additional funding to the National Centre of Laboratory and Epidemiology and the Institut Pasteur du Laos, the two official laboratories for sample screening.
The additional funds will, amongst others, be used to support the procurement of laboratory equipment, reagents, and swabs to meet the high demand for testing.
Furthermore, the LAO/027 health programme is continuing to support the Ministry of Health and the three Luxembourg supported provinces of Borikhamxay, Khammuan and Vientiane, through the acquisition of medical devices, personal protective equipment and consumables which are currently in high demand. Through this latest funding assistance, Luxembourg’s support is expected to strengthen case management, detection, monitoring and surveillance capacities; maintain and support temporary provincial isolation and treatment facilities; support infection prevention and control (IPC) mechanisms and surge capacities; enhance operational support and logistics; and provide technical support, IPC consumables and personal protective equipment. This support is in addition to the 3 million EUR (34.5 billion kip) which was transferred in 2020 by the government of Luxembourg to support the Lao government’s Covid-19 preparedness and response. Laos’ minister of health requested walk-through booths for virus tests and hemodialysis machines with the approval of the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control in May 2020.

By Times reporters
(Latest Update June 11, 2021)