New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS): The US government on Wednesday announced that it will donate 15 new, state-of-the-art ventilators to the Royal Government of Bhutan to assist the country in its fight against COVID-19.

The US Ambassador to India, Kenneth I. Juster said the US was pleased to provide the assistance which would be delivered through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). "We look forward to continued collaboration between our countries as we work together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

The ventilators are compact and easy to deploy. They support a range of care functions, allowing healthcare workers to respond to the fluctuating needs of COVID-19 patients. In addition to the ventilators, USAID is funding a package of support that includes warranties.

The donation builds upon the $1 million that USAID committed to the Bhutan Foundation in April to support COVID-19 relief efforts. In coordination with Bhutanese government, USAID and the Bhutan Foundation are strengthening diagnostic laboratory capabilities and clinical case-management, providing virtual training for health care providers and lab personnel, and developing communications materials on COVID-19 prevention, readiness, and response.

The grant also includes micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprise support initiatives to assist with Bhutan's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In September, USAID, in coordination with the Bhutan Foundation, also donated 200,000 cloth masks to the ministry of health of Bhutan for distribution to vulnerable communities, including the elderly and pregnant women, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Through USAID and the US Department of Health and Human Services agencies, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US Government works closely with Bhutanese public health authorities to advance shared public health objectives.