December 10, 2020
ALIMA is among the players on the front lines of humanitarian medicine. Its actions have helped to combat the spread of Covid-19 in Africa, thanks to its model based on innovation and inclusive governance. As early as February 2020, the NGO rolled out a pandemic response plan in 12 African countries.
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The AXA Group is offering its support to ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action), which is set to mobilize the resources needed to train humanitarian personnel in the Covid-19 response and tackle the direct and indirect consequences of the epidemic in the countries where it intervenes.
In early December, there were just over 2.1 million cases of Covid-19 in Africa and around 51,000 deaths.
The rapid preparation of humanitarian workers and the response of public health authorities has been critical for controlling contaminations in Africa.
Back in February 2020, ALIMA began deploying responses dedicated to handling Covid-19, structured around two priorities:
- Protecting teams and patients of ALIMA in its 12 countries of intervention, with the objective of maintaining ALIMA’s regular medical programs, which have already had a positive impact in terms of the significant number of lives saved: 35 hospitals and 400 healthcare centers in regions that were already in crisis (conflicts, malnutrition, other epidemics).
- Implementing Covid-19 emergency projects in 6 priority countries. ALIMA has activated its emergency fund set up to handle Covid-19 cases in 6 priority countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo) by reinforcing hospital capacity and offering material support (masks, protective equipment, oxygen concentrators).
To date and since February 2020, ALIMA’s response to the Covid-19 epidemic in Africa has accomplished the following:
During the Covid-19 Crisis
Patients treated
5,000 patients treated, including 800 in critical condition
Training medical humanitarian personnel
5,000 people trained in the prevention and control of infections, as well as in the handling of Covid-19 cases
Masks' delivering
330,000 masks delivered (FFP2 and surgical grade)
Hospital beds
1,000 Covid-19 hospital beds made available in 6 countries
Research projects
2 research projects launched, devoted to Covid-19 in Africa