Singapore, Australia Step in to Help Indonesia’s Covid-19 Fight
Jakarta. Close neighbors Singapore and Australia are providing medical aid to help Indonesia battles a dramatic surge in Covid-19 cases.
On Friday morning, two Singapore Air Force C-130 aircrafts left the Paya Lebar air base to deliver the initial tranche of medical assistance to Jakarta. The assistance includes oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, and ventilators. Singapore also rolled out personal protective equipment, including surgical and N95 masks, gloves, and gowns.
"As close neighbors and partners, we stand in solidarity with Indonesia in the fight against Covid-19," Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan posted in his Facebook account on Friday.
Vivian wrote that he had spoken with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi earlier this week regarding the rise in Covid-19 cases in Indonesia.
“I affirmed Singapore’s support for Indonesia’s efforts to contain the pandemic. We hope that these supplies will augment the efforts of those on the frontline in Indonesia,” Vivian said.
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry in a separate statement, Indonesia is expecting a total of 1,200 ventilators from Singapore and Australia to arrive today. Of that amount, 1,000 ventilators come from Australia. Singapore is also sending about 256 empty 50-liter oxygen tanks.
Singapore's shipment also includes the thirty purchased oxygen concentrators. Previously, the Indonesian government has purchased 10,000 oxygen concentrators from Singapore, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
The ministry reported that other countries had offered aid in the form of vaccines, medicines, and other medical supplies. Among them are the US, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, the UK, Singapore. As well as the UAE, India, China, and other international entities.
Indonesia is continuously pushing for global solidarity and cooperation amidst the pandemic.
“No one is safe until everyone is,” Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said on various occassions.
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