The U.S. government, through its ambassador in Peru, Lisa Kenna, delivered four mobile hospitals to the Peruvian National Institute for Civil Defense (INDECI, in Spanish) for emergency and natural disaster response. The donation took place at the Peruvian Army Headquarters in Lima on August 27, 2021, said INDECI in a statement, adding that two of the hospitals are intended for the Navy, one for the Army, and another for the Ministry of Health.
At the handover ceremony, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo expressed his gratitude to the United States for this donation.
“Ambassador Lisa Kenna, I convey my greetings, thanks, and appreciation to President Joe Biden for this donation. The United States is a historical partner, and bilaterally we can address urgent issues such as health and education,” Castillo said.
“We are committed to working with our Peruvian friends to address shared challenges. These hospitals have the potential to save more than 50,000 lives next year, especially in remote areas of the country,” Ambassador Kenna said in a statement aired by the Peruvian National Institute of Radio and Television (TVpe, in Spanish).
Characteristics
Each hospital consists of nine tents, with a capacity for 40 cots. The facilities include air conditioning, trailer-mounted generators, heaters, sinks, portable beds, and showers, among other items.
The hospitals have five sections that can operate either separately or connected as a single structure, facilitating quick transfers to remote areas of the country. This donation is in addition to 300 ultra-low temperature freezers to preserve medicines and vaccines. In total, this represents $7 million in assistance, the U.S. Embassy said.
“The men and women of the U.S. Army who serve in our Southern Command [SOUTHCOM] […] made today’s donation possible. They have worked side by side with the offices of the Ministry of Health and Defense to deliver this equipment,” Ambassador Kenna said on TVpe.
Over the next five years, the United States will grant Peru $321 million to continue the work that the U.S. Agency for International Development has been doing for 60 years, aimed at poverty reduction, better health services, education, food security, basic infrastructure, and consolidation of democratic institutions for Peruvians, the U.S. Embassy added.
