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Rabat – Three military planes carrying 13.5 tons of medical aid each, took off on Thursday morning, July 15, from a Royal Air Force Base in Kenitra, headed for Tunisia.
The aid ordered by King Mohamed VI includes two complete and autonomous resuscitation units, each capable of accommodating 100 patients. Additionally, there are 100 respirators and two oxygen generators with a capacity of 33 cubic meters per hour each.
Following this delivery, other military aircrafts are scheduled to fly to Tunisia in the coming days to deliver more medical aid.
Due to the collapse of Tunisia’s national health system, the Tunisian government has been calling for donations and foreign aid.
For two weeks, hospitals in Tunisia have been experiencing a large influx of patients in the midst of a new outbreak of Covid-19, that is reaching unprecedented levels.
The field hospitals that have been established recently are no longer sufficient. A total of 92% of the resuscitation beds in the public sector are currently occupied, and those in the capital are full.
The World Health organisation (WHO) reported this Thursday that Tunisia has the highest Covid-19 mortality rate in the region.
The country recorded about 50 deaths from March to August 2020. On May 12, 2020, in the middle of a global shutdown, Tunisia recorded 45 deaths.
The North African country was previously celebrated as a regional exception for its management of the crisis.
Tunisian authorities had focused on prevention by imposing a strict quarantine, limiting social interactions, and containing the spread of the virus.
Tunisia was among the first countries to lift its quarantine order, and welcomed tourists into the country from June 27, 2020 onwards.
Today,Tunisia reports more than 16,000 COVID-19 related deaths. The recent average death count is close to 200, daily.
Despite the dire health situation ongoing in Tunisia, initiatives are put in place by various organizations to try and contribute to the alleviation of the crisis. An NGO hopes to relieve overcrowded hospitals, by offering free at home consultations to COVID patients.
The NGO CoviDar, was launched in December 2020 by several charities and is run by doctors and health professionals.
The Moroccan aid cargo, along with upcoming deliveries, solidify the strong ties between Tunisia and Morocco as highlighted in the press release, citing “the active solidarity between Morocco and Tunisia, as well as the genuine brotherhood that unites its two brotherly peoples.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Morocco has delivered medical aid to over 15 African countries.
