UAE donates to Costa Rica medical aid in fight against COVID-19
Carlos Alvarado, President of Costa Rica, personally
welcomed the aid plane sent to Costa Rica as part of the United Arab Emirate’s
(UAE) efforts to help various countries around the world in containing the
spread of COVID-19.
Accompanying President Alvarado in receiving the
Etihad Airways flight was the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Costa
Rica, Jumaa Rashed Khamis Ahmed Alremeithi; the Foreign Minister of Costa Rica,
Rodolfo Solano Quirós; the executive president of the Costa Rican Social
Security Fund (CCSS), Dr. Román Macaya; and the executive director of the
National Emergency Commission (CNE), Yamilette Mata.
Alvarado expressed his deep
thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu
Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for the support in
providing medical supplies to cope with the virus, and expressed his
appreciation to the UAE government and people of the UAE for the repatriation
of Costa Rican citizens.
The flight, that arrived at
the Juan Santamaria International airport (SJO) on, Friday, June 12, carried 9
metric tons of medical supplies and 10,000 testing kits offered to Costa Rica
to bolster the country’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The aid will assist
approximately 9,000 medical professionals as they work to contain the virus.
Commenting on the aid
delivery, the UAE Ambassador stated: “Thanks to the support and guidance of the
leadership of our two countries, bilateral relations have witnessed a quantum
leap. This contributed to building a strategic partnership and led to enhanced
cooperation, trade, and development. In this context, medical assistance has
been provided to Costa Rica, confirming the strength and durability of these
relations.”
The ambassador added: “The
UAE is always keen to stand by brotherly and friendly countries and help
medical teams that are among the most vulnerable to the pandemic.”
For his part, CCSS president
thanked the United Arab Emirates government for a generous donation and assured
that these inputs will go directly to the protection of health personnel who
bravely face the pandemic by COVID-19.
“As an institution, we have
made an extraordinary effort to supply our personnel with all the personal
protective equipment required, and with this contribution we receive today,
that effort is strengthened, for the benefit of workers and the population
throughout the country,” said Macaya.
Since the beginning of the
emergency, the CCSS has distributed 2.1 million surgical masks, 78 628 gowns,
73 239 N95 respirators, 10 500 caps, 10 951 safety glasses, and 10,500 face
shields to its units nationwide.
The Friday morning flight
also allowed the return of six Costa Ricans, two of whom are minors, and, as
part of the cabin crew, the only two Costa Ricans who worked as flight
attendants for Etihad Airways were listed. The aircraft left Costa Rica for its
return to Abu Dhabi this Saturday morning, June 13.
The cooperation of the
United Arab Emirates is part of the multiple and vigorous efforts that, as a
result of the pandemic by COVID-19, have been undertaken by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, which up to now total the equivalent of US$7,785,500, both in
donations of medical supplies and medical supplies, financial resources, as
well as in the exchange of experiences and best practices.
Costa Rica and the United
Arab Emirates established diplomatic relations in 2010 and have managed to
build a solid strategic relationship of friendship and cooperation.
The UAE aid is unlike the
donation by China in April that cost the CCSS US$1.2 million dollars to hire an
airplane to haul the supplies to the country.
To date, the UAE has
responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing globally over 904 metric tons of
aid, supporting more than 904,000 medical professionals in the process.
