USAID’s Impact in Combatting COVID-19: Three Years of Achievements
USAID and MOHSPP Celebrate Achievements in Responding to COVID-19 in Tajikistan
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, February 9, 2024. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (MOHSPP) celebrated their achievements in responding and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in Tajikistan.
Since March 2020, USAID’s Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) activity has been working to support MOHSPP in strengthening Tajikistan’s national laboratory system and implementing the country’s COVID-19 Country Preparedness and Response Plan.
One of the significant accomplishments of the LHSS activity includes the implementation of activities in a total of 25 districts, covering 16 in the Khatlon Region, eight in the Sughd Region, and one in the Districts of Republican Subordination.
Over the past three years, LHSS has provided crucial equipment for 10 laboratories, including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machines, 50 refrigerators, and a medical waste incinerator. Additionally, LHSS has trained all 138 COVID-19 laboratory technicians on biosafety and biosecurity, as well as 3,800 healthcare workers on data collection, infection prevention, and control.
The LHSS activity has also played a key role in dispelling myths and misinformation around vaccination, as well as strengthening community perceptions of COVID-19 inoculation. As a result, the vaccination rates in the Sughd and Khatlon regions have achieved impressive levels, with 99% coverage for the first and second doses, and 98% for the first booster in the adult target population.
“I am very proud of our fruitful collaboration with MOHSPP that brings such a fundamental, innovative change to the health system of Tajikistan and supports better COVID-19 testing,” noted Peter Riley, USAID Mission Director at the activity’s closeout ceremony.
USAID is recognized as the world’s premier international development agency and a leading actor driving development results. For more information, please visit the USAID/Tajikistan website: https://www.usaid.gov/tajikistan and the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USAIDTajikistan/.
By U.S. Embassy Dushanbe | 9 February, 2024 | Topics: Press Releases
