DHL Global Forwarding is transporting vitally needed healthcare supplies for the World Health Organization (WHO) to remote islands in the Pacific cut off by the cancellation of passenger flights.
Although the number of COVID-19 cases in the far-flung islands in the Pacific has been relatively small, these tourism-dependent countries have been heavily impacted by dramatic cuts in passenger flights, resulting in a logistical challenge to send in basic supplies on a regular basis.
For its part, the World Health Organization has been working tirelessly to ensure much-needed supplies and healthcare equipment reach their shores and has coordinated its latest cargo donation, worth over €650,000, through DHL Global Forwarding.
Complex logistics operation
DHL airfreighted three separate shipments containing medical devices such as oxygen concentrator sets, patient monitors and pulse oximeters, from Singapore to Fiji. From there, the supplies are being transported on special flights or on ships to eight islands: Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Tonga.
“Ensuring that the Pacific Island countries have access to the necessary medical equipment and supplies to prepare for and respond to COVID-19 is a priority for the World Health Organization. But reaching such remote places, especially when so many airports are closed, is a huge logistical challenge. WHO is happy to be working with our partners like DHL to be able to make this happen,” said Dr Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.
The medical devices, which will be sent to hospitals and other healthcare institutions, will aid local medical professionals in treating COVID-19 patients.
“Whilst the Pacific Islands' geographic distance from densely populated countries had helped them avert major outbreaks during the pandemic, it has equally worked against them in acquiring much needed supplies due to the scarcity of air freight capacity,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.
“As one of the few global logistics players in the Islands and one with a geographic footprint as wide as ours, we are glad to be able to play a part in delivering the medical equipment and living up to our purpose of ‘Connecting People, Improving Lives,” he stressed.
Worldwide pandemic logistics support
DHL Global Forwarding has helped to distribute urgent health supplies worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the start of the year, it has used its network of life science and healthcare facilities, temperature-controlled solutions and customs clearance expertise to fly more than 1.3 million COVID-19 test kits from South Korea to Brazil, Ecuador, India, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
The freight forwarder also launched a dedicated 100-ton weekly air freight service for organizations and governments shipping health and medical-related items and other goods from China to Middle East and Africa.
