Port of Spain corporation donates medical supplies to NWRHA

The Port of Spain City Corporation has given a ventilator, hazmat suits and a batch of N95 face masks to the North West Regional Health Authority(NWRHA) to assist with the fight against covid19.

China’s ambassador Fang Qiu offered the medical items to the corporation as a donation from the municipal council of Shanghai – China’s largest city.

During the handing-over ceremony at the office of the Port of Spain Corporation, mayor Joel Martinez said the corporation was happy to share some of the items donated with the RHA.

He said over the past years the corporation has built a bond with the NWRHA as they worked closely to implement initiatives to contain the spread of covi19.

“We as a council have developed an excellent relationship with the NWRHA. Our relationship has gone further within recent times since we have had to work on city-wide vaccination drives as well as other matters of public health. We are excited about this opportunity to donate to help fight for our capital city, health and safety. Now, with the new (delta) variant present in our society we need to arm ourselves for yet another fight…

"This is a true testament of Shanghai’s willingness to continue a friendship with us, especially as we move towards developing a formal sister-city relationship between Port of Spain and Shanghai.”

NWRHA CEO Salisha Baksh thanked the corporation and the Chinese ambassador for the donations. She said, “These items are all considered crucial tools as it pertains to the appropriate management of both suspected and confirmed covid19 cases.”

In a short address, Qiu said he was pleased to hear about the benefits of the donation.

“In the face of the threat of the covid19 TT and China has stood shoulder by shoulder in our fight against the virus, building a community of sharing from both countries and its peoples. This speaks more about the profound friendship between our two nations."