Good morning.
Minister of Health, Dr. José Manuel Matheu;
Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and Panama, Dr. Alejandra Acuña;
Director of the San Felipe Hospital, and other participants.
First of all, thank you very much for receiving us at the San Felipe Hospital facilities. You are literally our neighbors here at the U.S. Embassy, since we are only a few blocks away. And when our new embassy opens, we will be much closer to you.
It is a pleasure to accompany the Ministry of Health here in San Felipe, the first public hospital of Honduras, which was founded in 1882.
And we know that it was the first Honduran hospital to obtain an x-ray machine in 1887.
This new, state-of-the-art x-ray machine is an important piece of equipment donated by the United States government, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic.
It is part of our government’s ongoing support to strengthen the quality of health services that Hondurans receive.
This equipment will allow medical personnel to carry out required x-ray studies without the need to move the patient, thus providing better care for patients, in addition to facilitating the work of the medical team by making it more efficient.
Also, performing medical images on patients in their room helps to eliminate infections that could occur during the transfer of the patient to other parts of the hospital.
This support is given within the framework of the cooperative agreement that the CDC has with the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic to strengthen local capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to threats to public health.
We are sister nations, we have strong ties of friendship and cooperation, and we will continue working hand-in-hand as we have done.
The United States government is committed to supporting the prosperity, security, and democracy of Honduras.
This starts with health. Since June 2021, the United States has donated 6.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Honduras through the COVAX initiative. Through USAID, we have provided more than 53 million dollars in supplies and technical assistance for COVID-19 tests and the necessary equipment to fight the pandemic, such as laboratories, ventilators, oxygen and personal protective equipment. This aid also includes support for the Ministry of Health to implement a national vaccine delivery plan. In addition, through the Department of Defense and U.S. Southern Command’s Humanitarian Aid Program, we donated 18 ultra-low temperature freezers to store vaccine doses and facilitate vaccinations across the country. And just a week ago, through the Humanitarian Assistance Program, we donated 6 container clinics, fully equipped and with an approximate value of 1 million dollars to be distributed in health centers affected by Hurricanes Eta and Iota. Also, the U.S. Southern Command recently approved 3 more clinics worth $285,000, bringing the number of clinics to a total of 9.
Of course, we are with the Ministry of Health so that, in an accelerated manner, Honduras achieves its vision of achieving the development and integral well-being of the population.
Thank you very much to everyone, and especially to the health personnel here, for the valuable work that they perform every day for the well-being of the Honduran people.
