UNICEF has sent humanitarian aid to a children's clinic and a maternity hospital in Abkhazia
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been working in Abkhazia since 1994
SUKHUM -- As part of the first batch of humanitarian aid, about 20 thousand units of personal protective equipment have been given to medical institutions in Abkhazia.
The United Nations Children's Fund, administered by UNICEF, has supplied personal protective equipment to the Sukhum Children's Clinic and to the Maternity Hospital of the Republic of Abkhazia.
The humanitarian aid consisted of disinfectants, disposable gloves, masks, respirators, robes, and grants for the correct use of personal protective equipment. Altogether about 20,000 units of protective equipment for medical staff were provided as part of the first delivery.
“Starting from today, we shall actively distribute the first delivery of humanitarian goods among children's clinics and maternity wards in Abkhazia. We believe that it is very important to protect medical staff from suspected infectious diseases. In addition to providing personal protective equipment, we shall assist in the conduct of training sessions on the prevention and control of infectious diseases," said William Hanlon, head of the Sukhum office of the United Nations Children's Fund.
The head of the maternity ward of the Maternity Hospital of the Republic of Abkhazia, Bella Piliya, thanked the Children's Fund for the aid provided and remarked that the protective equipment would be distributed to six wards of the hospital.
"Any help is very useful to us," she said. "I want to say that all the women who are admitted to our hospital undergo a preliminary examination. Their temperature is measured and a medical history is taken. So far we have had no women clearly suspected of infection with the coronavirus. But we believe that everyone whom we admit should be treated as though she were infected, because we cannot be 100 percent certain that a person has not been in contact with someone who is infected."
UNICEF representatives also noted that as part of the first batch of humanitarian aid personal protective equipment will be delivered to city and district children's clinics and maternity wards.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been working in Abkhazia since 1994 and helps medical staff to strengthen their professional skills and apply international standards.