Lesotho has received medical and information-technology equipment worth about M2.5 million to strengthen disease surveillance and the country’s response to public-health threats.
The World Health Organisation and the Pandemic Fund handed the equipment to the Ministry of Health in Maseru on Friday. The package is valued at about US$150,000, according to WHO Lesotho and the Lesotho News Agency.
It includes blood-pressure machines, blood-glucose monitors, laptops, desktop computers and supporting hardware and software. The equipment is intended for health workers involved in detecting outbreaks, sharing surveillance information and providing frontline care.
Regional surveillance project
WHO representative in Lesotho Dr Innocent Nuwagira said the equipment was bought through a Pandemic Fund project for Southern Africa, with the WHO serving as an implementing partner.
The project focuses on strengthening One Health disease surveillance and emergency response. The One Health approach links human, animal and environmental health because outbreaks can move between those systems.
Nuwagira said the equipment would give health workers additional tools to improve patient care and strengthen the country’s ability to detect and respond to health threats.
The handover comes as Southern African health services prepare for climate-related risks during the expected El Niño season. Changes in rainfall and temperature can affect the spread of water-borne and vector-borne diseases, placing additional pressure on surveillance systems.
WHO Lesotho said the investment was designed to improve prevention, early detection and response rather than respond to a specific declared outbreak.
