The UK is boosting support for 14 British Overseas Territories
during the coronavirus pandemic, utilising cutting-edge
technology and Britain’s talent for creative invention to help
270,000 people in some of the world’s most isolated communities
fight coronavirus.
The package includes:
- Former oxygen machines used for fighter jets repurposed into
hospital-grade units for the Falkland Islands
- A 24/7 hotline connecting Overseas Territories (OT) medics
with health experts around the globe to ensure they can access
world-leading medical advice
- New testing machines to enable six Territories to test for
coronavirus for the first time
- New technology rolled out to a further three Territories to
bolster their existing testing capability
- Funding for an Oxygen Generator Unit
in
the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Anguilla to provide increased
capacity for future emergencies
The testing technology has been provided by the UK Government to
test for coronavirus, but will also provide long term local
capacity to test for other viruses, such as Zika and dengue,
which continue to impact communities across the Caribbean.
Previously, tests had to be shipped overseas, sometimes thousands
of miles back to the UK, from OTs such as the Falkland Islands.
The 13 new testing machines and extra medical equipment will now
enable OT health services to receive same-day results and respond
to transmissions in real time.
The UK Government is working with each Overseas Territory
Government to respond to their individual needs - this work has
included public health support, bolstering security, keeping
access routes open for vital supplies, and supporting British
people who are unable to get home, as well as providing UK aid to
the most vulnerable Territories.
Minister for the Overseas Territories, , said:
“In times of crisis the UK family always stands together and our
package of support for the Overseas Territories not only benefits
communities in the fight against coronavirus, but also in the
long term.
“Whether that is helping them test for viruses, such as Zika and
dengue, or supplying critical medical equipment to provide
life-saving support to British people who live in some of the
most remote locations in the world.”
As part of the UK’s support, military aircraft specialists have
devised a way to adapt aircraft oxygen units to provide
life-saving support for the Falkland Islands.
Air Separation Units (ASUs), used previously to generate oxygen
for aircrew on Tornado and Hercules operations in the Royal Air
Force from the 1990s to around 2016, were identified by aircraft
engineering specialists at Defence Equipment and Support as
offering the potential to adapt to produce oxygen for coronavirus
patients. Working with the Defence Electronics and Components
Agency (DECA) and RAF personnel, the machines were sourced,
customised and then quickly deployed.
Minister for Defence Procurement, said:
“Our Armed Forces have been core to the support provided to
Overseas Territories during the Covid outbreak, from delivering
vital medical supplies to dedicated military teams offering
security and planning advice.
“Repurposing parts originally destined for fighter jets
demonstrates the versatility of what our military can offer our
partners in the Overseas Territories: Air Separation Units having
been turned into life-saving oxygen machines.”
Personnel from 5001 Squadron at RAF Wittering were trained to
operate the oxygen equipment, and deployed two of their own
technicians to install the equipment at RAF Mount Pleasant on the
Falkland Islands.
Meanwhile, a UK-funded Oxygen Generator Unit has been
commissioned in the compound of Anguilla’s hospital, the Princess
Alexandra Hospital, to provide resilience to the island and save
local health authorities hundreds of thousands of pounds. The
generator and storage facility will save the island around
£10,000 a month and provide increased capacity during the
coronavirus crisis and any future national emergencies.
The Overseas Territories have played an important part in the
UK’s Covid-19 crisis response, with the Falklands allowing three
cruise ships to dock to enable hundreds of British passengers to
return home, and the Cayman police helicopter delivering
medicines to stranded British nationals on the MV Braemar cruise
ship in April.
