World Bank said the money should be used on personal protective equipment (PPE), medicines, medical supplies and lab equipment. | bendeveraINQ
Yet another use for the funds is expansion of lab testing capacity in the national and lower levels for “prevention of and preparedness against emerging infectious diseases.”
The funds would “support retrofitting” of the ageing Philippine testing facility, Research Institue for Tropical Medicine, and six other labs in Baguio, Cebu, Davao and Manila.“Boosting the country’s capacity to respond to COVID-19 will save lives,” the lender said.“Right now, no other investment offers greater return,” said Achim Fock, WB acting country director who has jurisdiction over the Philippines.
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III had cited WB estimates that 100,000 lives had been saved by lockdowns.Earlier WB loan documents showed its COVID-19 Emergency Response Project was projecting reduction of deaths in the Philippines by at least 10 percent, or up to 16,702 Filipinos.Earlier this month, WB also approved a $500 million loan for the Philippines to partly “support urgent needs created by the COVID-19 crisis.
The $500 million loan was programmed for accelerated release on April 30 and had been initially intended for upgrade of the Philippines disaster response and recovery capacity.
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