Face masks, hats, gloves and scrubs were among a welcome donation received by the Ministry of Health yesterday.
The medical supplies were a gift from the Eastern Helen Hospital Company, a Chinese-Antiguan firm which recently bought the Adelin Clinic to renovate and enlarge for use as a private hospital.
“I would like to express my deep appreciation to the company,” said Health Minister Molwyn Joseph. “We must see this in the context of the great difficulty in getting supplies to Antigua and Barbuda. Many of the supply chains for personal protection equipment, such as masks for our healthcare workers, have been broken and sometimes goods coming to the Caribbean from the United States are being confiscated.
“So, when we can get supplies here on the island, we deeply appreciate the generosity,” he added.
Alcohol disinfectants, hand sanitisers and electric thermometers were also among the 5,000 items donated.
A spokesman for the company said it was the firm’s “civic duty” to aid in the nation’s virus fight and that they plan to supply an extra 20,000 masks shortly.