The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia has donated medical equipment worth $1 million to Nigeria in a bid to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the Director Media and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Health, Olusegun Adetola said the handover of the medical equipment donated to the Nigerian Government took place at the Saudi-Arabia Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday. The donated medical equipment includes 23 ventilators, surgical sterile gowns, non-sterile gowns, surgical masks, and nitrile gloves.


Adetola said, “In his goodwill message, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire ably represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Abdulazeez Mashi Abdullahi thanked the good people of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the tremendous donation,


"The Permanent Secretary reiterated Nigeria Government effort to fight COVID-19 pandemic to total level of eradication.


“He appreciated the Government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its continuous contribution to the growth of Health Sector in Nigeria through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre. He acknowledged the extensive efforts of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by combating blindness, cataract and glaucoma in addition to other sight weakness and disorders," the statement added.


“He expressed Federal Government readiness to utilize the kind gesture of medical equipment positively and distribution of items into various medical centres.


“He later commended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its role as a key partner in global health and development. He also eulogize the Kingdom for being in forefront of combating the menace in order to save human lives and preserve global health.”


He further noted that the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Faisal Ibrahim Alghamdi while responding said, “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Government plan to organize twelve (12) voluntary medical campaign to compaign to combat blindness, heart surgery and cataract in which medical campaign is planned for six (6) Geo-political zones of the country.


“He also mentioned different humanitarian assistance being rendered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to displaced persons in the North-Eat, Food basket worth of Ten Million Dollars have been distributed to families in some parts of the country like, Borno, Yobe, and Zamfara States.”