The Philippines has received a US$1.5-million cash assistance from Saudi Arabia for the development of health facilities in war-torn Marawi City.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the cash donation will be used for the installation of medical equipment and training of medical personnel in Marawi City.
Aside from the cash donation, Saudi Arabia also donated medical equipment amounting to US$1.7 million.
The in-kind donations include personal protective equipment such as surgical sterile gowns, non-sterile surgical gowns, KN95 masks, surgical masks, and nitrile gloves. These are in addition to the 53 ventilators that arrived a few weeks ago and have been partially distributed to their identified recipients.
The donations were made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KS Relief).
The DFA helped in facilitating the donation which was turned over to the Department of Health (DOH) on May 19.
In turn, the DOH awarded a certificate of appreciation to the Saudi Embassy in Manila and the KS Relief for their general contributions for the improvement of Covid-19 response operations and emerging infectious diseases testing capacity of the Philippines.
The donation, according to the Saudi Embassy in Manila, is part of the Kingdom’s commitment in securing and distributing aid to the victims of the Marawi siege, as well as in working with the Philippines in its pandemic response.