Japan has pledged $3 million to support and improve Samoa’s health care system.

A signing ceremony for the exchange of notes for provision of Medical Equipment between Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi and the Japanese Ambassador to Samoa, Terasawa Genichi, took place on Thursday.

The assistance will help Samoa procure a range of much needed medical equipment such as defibrillators, C-arm and electrocardiograms.

The Grant Aid is provided under Japan's Grant Aid Assistance for contributing to promoting the economic and social development of Samoa.

The grant assistance is based on the prioritized areas of Japan’s assistance declared during the Eighth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (P.A.L.M. 8) in 2018.

Japan’s commitment aims to assist in the improvement and upgrading of medical equipment to ensure effective and quality health services continue to be provided by the health sector.

And also the assistance from Japan also focuses on developing human capacity through health education and training of medical and nursing students at the National University of Samoa’s (N.U.S.) School of Medicine.

A range of equipment will also be procured under this grant assistance to upgrade the teaching materials and equipment for the N.U.S. School of Medicine.  

“It is the hope of the Government of Japan that this Grant Aid Assistance will contribute to building resilience of the country and human security of the people of Samoa,” read the statement.

It also added that part of the assistance will help with minimising negative economic and social impact caused by COVID-19. 

The current COVID-19 crisis has reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to strengthen health systems to deal with infectious diseases in the mid- and long-term period. The Samoa-Japan partnership is critical to managing ways to strengthen resilience in health and human security.