On November 13, 2020, US Ambassador Sung Y Kim officially handed over 83 Vyaire LTV/2200 ventilators to Central Java province in a virtual ceremony moderated by USAID/LINKAGES and attended by the Ministry of Health Director General of Health Services and the Governor of Central Java.

“Today’s event reflects the United States’ commitment to partnering with Indonesia in tackling COVID-19,” said Kim, adding that “we are proud to work together on disease prevention, diagnostics and capacity building – through USAID, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US businesses and other partners.”

The Central Java donation is part of a 1,000 Vyaire ventilator shipment provided to Indonesia by the US Government in August 2020. 

Prof. dr. Abdul Kadir, Director General of Health Services, accepted the ventilators on behalf of the Ministry of Health.   “The hope is that the ventilator grant delivered [by the US Government] can provide real benefits to the community,” he said.

The Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, also accepted the donation, stating that “this assistance is not just assistance with a certain nominal value, but is a form of respect for high human values. That during this pandemic, a high sense of humanity is very important to jointly tackle [COVID-19] and help the community.”

The USAID/LINKAGES project is currently training 40 hospitals in Central Java on the use of mechanical ventilation for the care of COVID-19 patients.   Training sessions have now been carried out in five provinces – DKI Jakarta, Central Java, West Java, East Java and South Kalimantan – with plans to provide training to facilities in an additional nine provinces over the coming weeks.