Guyana to tap $US15M from Pandemic Fund
Jan 01, 2025
—-money will be used to improve disease surveillance, strengthen reference lab
Kaieteur News- The Government of Guyana (GoG), through the Ministry of Health, has successfully secured $US15 million from the World Bank coordinated Pandemic Fund.
The funds, which are expected to be accessible by March 2025, will be used to enhance the country’s preparedness for future pandemics, said Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony during a news conference on Tuesday.
Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony
Speaking to reporters Minister Anthony stated that the investment will focus on improving disease surveillance and strengthening the National Public Health Referenced Laboratory. This funding is part of the Health Ministry’s broader efforts to better detect and manage potential health threats, ensuring greater capacity to respond to both human and animal diseases.
Anthony said that the government has invested approximately $US2 million in the National Public Health Referenced laboratory. Moreover, according to the Pandemic Fund website, the fund is a first-of-its-kind multilateral financing mechanism dedicated exclusively to strengthening critical pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) capacities and capabilities of low- and middle-income countries through investments and technical support at the national, regional, and global levels.
“The Fund provides a dedicated stream of additional, long-term financing for investments in areas such as infectious diseases surveillance, laboratories and diagnostics, and health workforce strengthening,” the Pandemic Fund website stated. It is further explained that as of November 2024, the Pandemic Fund has awarded US$885 million in two rounds of funding, which has leveraged an additional US$6 billion from international and domestic partners. These funds support 47 projects across 75 low- and middle-income countries, focusing on disease surveillance, diagnostics, and health workforce capacity. The projects promote a One Health approach to pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, fostering international collaboration and encouraging increased domestic investments to ensure sustainable impact.
(Guyana to tap $US15M from Pandemic Fund)
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