The World Bank activated on April 15 US$6.6 million to provide immediate funding for Dominica’s emergency response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, focusing on enhancing health system capacity and strengthening food security.
“The World Bank has mobilized rapid support for Dominica’s emergency response activities to limit the impacts of COVID-19, protect the people of Dominica, and lay the groundwork for recovery,” said Tahseen Sayed, World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean.
From the total amount activated, US$5.1 million will be used to bolster the capacity of Dominica’s public health system to manage COVID-19. Funds will be available to purchase drugs, medical supplies and equipment, and laboratory supplies to boost testing capacity and for minor retrofitting of isolation units.
Another US$1.5 million will be used to support agriculture and strengthen national food security during the pandemic. The intervention is targeted to reach an estimated 3,200 farmers to ensure that the local food supply chains are better able to meet the needs of the island.
The World Bank also activated US$4.5 million on April 17 to provide immediate funding for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, aimed at strengthening the capacity of the health system.
“The World Bank is working closely with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to help the health system prepare for the impacts of COVID-19 and to protect people, especially the most vulnerable,” said Tahseen Sayed, the World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean.
The financing will be used to improve the ability to isolate patients, increase testing capacity, and purchase critical supplies, including personal protective equipment, mobile isolation units, testing equipment, reagents, gloves, and masks. It will also support preparedness and response capacity for other public health emergencies by increasing access to medical equipment and expanding the capacity of hospitals.
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What is the normal turn around time on these requests.
This is an emergency request and should have been handled expeditiously.
25 days and still waiting for a response considering you are a member of these organization must be viewed with a level of suspicion.
Isn’t this suppose to be an emergency situation? What’s the hold up?
And Antigua is yet to get aid hmmm. Good Leadership really matters. Don’t bite the hand that feed you.
Something is definitely off
He wrote to who, IMF, the same organization he laughed and berated at the Sandals Hotel? Poor A&B Leadership do matter. Big mouth that a utter Dog dodo everytime he open up his choppers. Hot air should hurt everytime you exhale it. Your war chest will burst one day. Premier Harris, Dominica & St Lucia PM, make you look lk a Clown you are. Go to the back of the class where you belong. Economic Jackass.
Strange,!! The prime minister wrote to the IMF on behalf of caricom? I thought caricom made a collective pitch.
What should concern citizen of this Nation is that our government is having a serious challenge taking care of it’s people after 3weeks in this crisis. This is poor management and probably leadership.
It’s contrary to what I’ve been reading about the other islands.
@ BUMP:
Did he really write to the IMF on behalf of CARICOM.Or as a guise to get money for Antigua and Barbuda.Oh what a tangled web we weave.My late mother told me to never burn Bridges.Because you never know when you would want to use those Bridges again.The IMF is the Bridge that was blown up in 2014.By the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda,Gaston Browne.And he boasted about it on his Radio Station.He said the IMF representative told him.That she hopes he does not come back crawling to the IMF.Indeed he is back looking to borrow money.Do not burn your Bridges.You never know when you would want to use those Bridges again.Do not cuss others out.You would never know when you would need their help into the future.
They waiting to hear which of Fernandez offshore accounts to send it
Where are the ALP choir singers sideline and tinman. Every day for the past 5 years we heard how Harold took us to the IMF through mismanagement and there wasn’t a crises because the other Caricom countries were doing well.
Now Gaston is trying underhandedly to crawl back to the IMF under the guise of speaking for Caricom and they’re not even returning our calls. How can you beg for money for Caricom when you are not the head and plus the other countries are all giving out 100 million dollar stimulus packages? The IMF have internet so they can see is only one country struggling and is the poor boast one.
At least Harold got money and was taken seriously , but wha coulda cause this diss to Antigua.
Boss why you calling me? One thing about you is you tend to spread misinformation. Nowhere is Gaston Browne asking for any IMF program for A&B. But watch you wanting to be heard. Under the GM admin you have never had it better. But watch you let bitterness blind you against your own best interest.
@Tenman. Good to see you are not dead. Welcome back! Noe pllleeaase, dont try to take us for fools. It is clear that PM Browne is trying a round about method to the IMF because he is too ashamed to return to his vomit. There is a saying, ‘speak soft words because you never know when you will be required to eat them’. As an Antiguan I hope the IMF comes to our aide but it is reasonable to cut his a.. first.
Zackie, never left and if you check you would have noticed me responding to yours and other’s comments. The IMF was never thrown out of A&B. Article IV’ consults still happens. They still make too many mistakes because they do not understand the environment. Anyway we are no longer on an IMF program where they can dictate to us. We have consulted with them on many matters eg Corresponding banking issue. You need to understand the PM is an upfront person, he will tell you how he feels to your face. You prefer persons/leaders who do it behind your back? Anyway stay safe..
@ Zackie Sideline is really the IMF expert out of the ALP choir members. I am wondering if he’s ok. Since he spoke out of turn on the IMF grading of Antigua’s economy contradicting what the PM said no one heard from him.
Maybe they stopped paying him. I know the other one will sing for free.
@Tenman
He was asking for Caricom. Isn’t Antigua part of Caricom? Anyway don’t think GB is interested in the assistance the World Bank has offered the other Caribbean countries as Antigua has received tons of medical supplies. GB needs money that he can be unaccounted for.
TENMAN: Welcome back !!
You and I have had our differences in the past.However,not hearing from you in quite sometime gave me caused for concern.Do not stay away.LOL.
Gaston Browne took out a loan to pay off the IMF ahead of schedule as an election gimmick in 2018. Now just 2 years later, he goes back to the same IMF to borrow back the same money that he paid off early? I am confused and I’m sure the IMF is confused too. Looks like the only person that our PM has outsmarted is himself.
Point of correction, he never took out a loan to pay off the IMF. The inept ALP administration went into our medical Benefits surplus and took out over 20 million dollars and bragged about it. Now the same MBS need that money to help fight this virus. “Corona”. I am so sorry for my people, who continue to sleep while this idiot and his bunch off renegades take us to the cleaners.
@Knight.. get your facts straight. Moneys via MBS were borrowed in 2014 when the government came in and the IMF debt (also airport) was in arrears. You may recall Lovell explaining they were in election mode hence had no time to deal with paying debts. IMF was insisting we pay or enter another program. Contrary to the rantings of @Cassandrak no MBS loan happened in 2018. Reading MBS 2010 annual report “Addressing National Health Challenges Creating a Better Future” (on their website), its only a fool would argue the 36 million (16.7 BAICO, 20 million ABI) they had in BAICO and ABI Bank would not be better in government’s hands. Its this ABLP government that ensured they did not lose that some 20 million (ABI bank) via its funding (300 million ) of the government’s Depositor Protection Trust. MBS would have had to write that off as a bad debt
This is the problem when ALP hire cheap prostitutes to defend their lies. I have the recording of Gaston on his radio station saying it was Weston who suggested to take the money from MBS to pay off the IMF. Who should I believe a cheap prostitutes or the infantile?
@Cassandrak, himself and people like Cermle, Sidelines and others. Wait, what has become of them? They used to go as far as telling us that God sent the ABLP to govern us and that they were the smartest set of people to run this country. Of course we knew it was all nonsense and that it was only a matter of time before the truth emerged of how dangerous to the country ABLP policies are.
Will we now see the dismantling of NyamCo, the un-hiring of political minions at high salaries, personal enrichment schemes etc. My mother never went to college but she knew the danger of not living within your means and spend, spend, spend.
We could well use all that concert money, ebook money, constant travel money, enrichment scheme spinoffs etc now.
Wonder if it is Antigua’s ecomony alone collaspe of if it is the entire world? Wonder if it is Antigua Aline was affected by coronavirus or is it the entire world? It is so amazing give the reptutation of the IMF and World Bank how people in small developing countries espically in the Caribbean would so strongly defend them all in the name. Polotics can really turn people who suppise to be smart dumb. This virus is not about red and blue. This virus is a test of fate and tet some of you geniuses herep is gloating the collaspe of our island. This world is such a messep up place.
@ Thinking out loud
Yes. Can you think of any other?
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