The United Nations and the Medical Care Development International (MCDI) have reached agreements with the United States to purchase and distribute medical supplies throughout Equatorial Guinea with a combined $25.6 million.
The agreements constitute part of the implementation of a civil forfeiture settlement resolving the disposition of certain assets allegedly purchased by the country’s Vice President, Obiang Mangue, with the proceeds of corruption.
‘Wherever possible, Kleptocrats will not be allowed to retain the benefits of corruption’, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Kenneth Polite Jr, said in a statement.
‘The department’s tenacity in ensuring that these funds be returned for the benefit of the people of Equatorial Guinea demonstrates our commitment to making sure a nation’s resources are used to benefit the people of that nation and are not siphoned off inappropriately’.
The tiny tropical nation is the third biggest oil producer in sub-Sahara Africa but the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2012 reported acute youth unemployment with about 75 percent of the population below the poverty threshold.
Equatorial Guinea’s health care system continues to suffer from inadequate staffing, stockouts of basic medications and medical supplies, according to a 2017 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.
Similarly, a 2017 World Health Organisation (WHO) report said communicable diseases are still very prevalent in the country, accounting for more than 85 percent of all medical consultations, especially malaria, acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea.
Also, the country has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, with over 11,000 confirmed cases and 142 deaths at the time of this report.
Based on a donor agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the United Nations will use $19.25 to purchase, store, distribute and administer Covid-19 vaccines to at least 600,000 people in Equatorial Guinea.
In addition, MCDI, a charitable organisation in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S., will receive $6.35 million to manage the purchase, storage, distribution and delivery of additional medical supplies throughout the country.
The purchase of medical supplies with the aforementioned funds is expected to greatly improve health care in the country.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Photo source: AMISOM Public Information