February 24, 2021 – The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of U.S. Embassy Bangkok donated life-saving COVID-19 relief supplies to Thailand at an event at the Thai Ministry of Public Health today.
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Michael Heath, together with CDC-Thailand Country Director Dr. James Heffelfinger, joined MOPH Deputy Permanent Secretary Dr. Narong Saiwong to celebrate another milestone in the history of strong health collaboration between the United States and Thailand.
In 2020, CDC-Thailand celebrated 40 years of working with Thailand to address important health issues affecting people in Thailand, the United States and across the globe. CDC’s efforts to support Thailand’s public health capacity to efficiently address threats from emerging infectious diseases is the cornerstone of the health partnership between the United States and Thailand. CDC-Thailand has played a crucial role in Thailand’s successful response to past and present outbreaks including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), H5N1 avian influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and the COVID-19 pandemic through technical and financial support.
In light of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic here, and Thailand’s urgent need for medical supplies and equipment to assist with any additional surges of COVID-19 cases locally, CDC-Thailand successfully secured funds for the MOPH to procure 12 ventilators worth $250,000 and over $160,000 worth of personal protective equipment (PPE). According to Chargé d’Affaires Heath the “equipment will go to the provinces and frontline health workers that need it most.”
“We are very proud of the historic health cooperation between the United States and Thailand, which has already saved millions of lives due to cutting edge research on diseases like Malaria and SARS. This is yet another example of our successful partnership,” added Chargé Heath.
