Germany, IOM donate ambulance, medical equipment to Zamboanga

MAYOR BENG Climaco thanked Germany and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for donating various medical equipment, including an ambulance for the Zamboanga City Health Office.

 Mayor Beng Climaco and Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite thank German Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel and Troy Dooley, the Chief of Mission for IOM Philippines, for the donated ambulance and medical equipment. (Eugene Elnar)

Climaco and Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite received the ambulance, two ultra-low temperature freezers and 150 oxygen tanks with regulators from the German Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel and Troy Dooley, the Chief of Mission for IOM Philippines. 

IOM is part of the United Nations System as the leading inter-governmental organization promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. 

Climaco said the medical equipment will greatly support the local government’s efforts on Covid-19 vaccination and other health initiatives. “Today, with whatever resources we have in the city government, plus the resources given, we will be able to face our challenges as we face the new normal,” she said. 

Dooley said the German government funded the donation. “We are grateful for the funding from the German government and also the partnership with Zamboanga City,” he said. 

Reiffenstuel, for her part, highlighted the importance of working in solidarity and the strong ties between Germany and the Philippines. “I have realized during the pandemic over the past few years, there are a lot of challenges we have faced but we have also embraced this opportunity, these challenges, and understood it as a chance to grow. This has shown us how deeply rooted the connections are between our countries and how important it is to work in solidarity,” she said during the turn over ceremony held recently. 

Dooley said the donation of medical equipment is part of the IOM’s Prepare, Prevent, Protect program with support and humanitarian assistance from the German government, which aims to mitigate the impact of Covid-19. 

Germany is one of the top 10 trading partners of the Philippines, and has the largest share in the EU-Philippine trade relations. The overall annual volume of bilateral trade has seen a stable 6 billion EUR (approx. P328-B) over the past few years. (Zamboanga Post and Jasmine Mohammadsali)