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Feb 24 2021

Coronavirus response: NATO delivers protective coveralls to a children hospital in the Republic of Moldova

LUXEMBOURG - On 23 February 2021, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) delivered 25,000 disposable coveralls to the Republic of Moldova from the Pandemic Response Trust Fund. The items will be distributed to different national hospitals, including the Municipal Clinical Hospital for Children Valentin Ignatenco, in Chisinau, one of the most affected areas in the country.

The NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) coordinated the donation, after a request for international assistance by NATO partner Moldova. The assistance was made possible with financial contributions by Luxembourg and Norway.

NSPA purchased, stored and transported by road all the coveralls from its warehouse to the Republic of Moldova. As in previous deliveries, Luxembourg supported NSPA with the transportation, enabling a cost and time efficient delivery.

This support is the initial delivery of a NATO COVID-19 assistance package Allies have agreed to provide to the Republic of Moldova. Other medical equipment including 100,000 FFP2 disposable masks will be delivered to the Republic of Moldova in the coming weeks.

The donation was handed over to the State Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova, Mrs. Tatiana Zatîc, and the Director of the Clinical Hospital Mr. Alexandru Holostenco, during a ceremony attended by H.E. Mr. Kęstutis Kudzmanas, the Ambassador of NATO's Contact Point Embassy – Embassy of Lithuania.

NATO has established a Pandemic Response Trust Fund and a stockpile of medical equipment and supplies to provide immediate relief to Allies or partners in need, in response to COVID-19 crisis. Allies have approved 11 NATO COVID-19 assistance packages for four Allies: Albania, Czech Republic, Montenegro and North Macedonia, as well as for five partners, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Moldova, Tunisia and Ukraine.

The Republic of Moldova is a close partner to NATO. At Moldova's request, NATO and Moldova cooperate on a range of issues, including the country's defence reform and modernisation efforts. Moldova is also a valued contributor to the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo. NATO's cooperation with the Republic of Moldova is in full respect of the country's constitutional neutrality, and with full support for its territorial integrity and sovereignty.