Type of Intervention: New Tool / Service / Body
Sectors Involved: Health, Local Government, Research and Development
Intervention Categories: Finance policy and financial aid; Financial aid to health services; Non-governmental interventions; Charity and religious groups; Communities or societies
Level of Jurisdiction: City and non-governmental organization
Lead People/Agency: Dr Saad Shahin, President of Basra University
Overview: WHO, Basra University and other educational institutes in Basra collaborated to provide laboratory supplies and equipment to screen for COVID-19 cases in Iraq. The manufacturing team in Basra university also provided the health directorates in Basra, Muthana, Karbala, and Wasit governorates with 1620 virus transport mediums and 3200 nasal swabs to improve the detection of the disease in those governorates. In addition, the WHO provided the Southern region of Iraq with Reverse Transcriptase-PRC (RT-PCR) kits to ease the detection of the disease in the region. The crisis cell of Basra also came out with three measures in response to the COVID-19 such as the issue of a self-reporting online app to report about COVID-19. With the support of WHO and the government, sterilization materials and disinfectants were produced locally.
Full details here: http://www.emro.who.int/irq/iraq-news/iraq-produces-covid-19-laboratory-supplies-to-test-more-cases-rapidly.html
Type of Justification: Perception of an increased threat
Source of Evidence or Justification: National – academic