To support Uganda’s COVID-19 response, Globesight has partnered with not-for-profit and last-mile logistics provider, Crown Agents, to supply four oxygen concentrators to national medical stores across Uganda.
Uganda’s health system is under strain to cope with continuous new cases of COVID-19 and the resulting deaths. Other diseases, such as malaria, are on the rise as healthcare efforts over the last year have turned their focus to COVID-19. Many private and public hospitals across the country have reported acute shortages of both the AstraZeneca vaccines and oxygen to treat patients over the last year.
Globesight’s President, Taufiq Rahim stated, “As COVID-19 cases take a toll on the country’s health infrastructure and the daily lives of the local population, we all need to step up and support the people of Uganda.”
Globesight’s partnership with Crown Agents and donation to the company’s ‘Lab to Jab COVID-19 Response Facility’ is a prime example of the meaningful role private sector companies can play in rapidly responding to emergency situations. Within 24 hours of joining the ‘Response Facility’ the development firm had donated four oxygen concentrators to Uganda.
Oxygen concentrators can produce oxygen 24-hours a day and have a lifespan of at least five years. Globesight’s donation of the concentrators alone could provide over 175,000 hours of oxygen until 2026 during their operational life.
The concentrators were safely delivered to the Central Medical Store in Entebbe to be distributed further across the country. Rahim further stressed, “Globesight’s contribution should be a signal to the private sector and global partners to not stand on the side-lines.”
Crown Agents’ ‘Lab to Jab COVID-19 Response Facility’ aims to combine business expertise, networks, and resources with Crown Agents’ procurement and last-mile logistics capabilities and presence across the globe in order to enhance and speed up emergency responses.
“We set up The Lab to Jab COVID-19 Response Facility to help make COVID-19 vaccines available and improve access to quality healthcare for all. By working with the private sector, international development companies can leverage their extensive tools and skills to ensure support gets to where it is most needed in the quickest timeframe. Partnerships like the one we have formed with Globesight are imperative for preventing millions more from dying from COVID-19 and helping countries to build back better.” says Fergus Drake, Crown Agents Chief Executive Officer.