Romania received two oxygen generation systems from NATO’s Pandemic Response Stockpile on Monday (5 September 2022), to help the country respond to coronavirus infections and support medical evacuation efforts in support to Ukraine. NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC), NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency and Romania coordinated the donation, following a request by Romania for assistance in response to the ongoing pandemic.
The transportation of the medical equipment was provided by Romania, through the EADRCC. Romania also provided for the transportation of additional medical equipment to the Republic of Moldova, on behalf of the EADRCC. The oxygen generation systems were donated to the Pandemic Response Trust Fund from Canada and Luxembourg.
The donation was handed over to Romania during a ceremony in Brussels, which was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Raed Arafat; the Permanent Representative of Romania to NATO, Ambassador Dan Neculăescu; the Director of the Operations Division’s Defence Institution and Capacity Building Directorate, Piers Cazalet; and the Head of the EADRCC, Tim Lannan. The oxygen generation systems will be placed in a mobile hospital in the city of Iasi, Romania, near the border with Ukraine. The mobile hospital could be used for potential medical evacuation efforts in support of Ukraine. Further support will be provided to Romania for the installation and functioning of the equipment.
In 2020, NATO established a Pandemic Response Trust Fund that maintains a stockpile of medical equipment and supplies. During the recurring waves of the pandemic, NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre has provided multiple tranches of COVID-19 assistance to 13 nations, through the Pandemic Response Trust Fund.
The Pandemic Response Trust Fund is also currently delivering immediate humanitarian support to Ukraine and the neighbouring nations to better manage the influx of Ukrainian refugees and improve preparedness and resilience of the national health systems, through the delivery of modern medical equipment, supplies, and pharmaceutical products.