Algerian and American officials inaugurated a U.S.-donated state-of-the-art field hospital near Blida, Algeria, Aug. 11, to help the nation fight the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.
Algerian officials from the Ministry of Health accepted the donation by the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid program of the U.S. Department of Defense. The field hospital will serve Algeria’s civilian population and is equipped with a negative pressure isolation system specifically designed to treat patients with infectious diseases. It has 35 beds, five of which include intensive care systems.
“The field hospital is part of the United States’ commitment to sharing resources in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe,” said Chargé d’Affaires Gautam Rana. “This comes on top of vaccines through COVAX and the more than $4 million in aid the United States has provided to Algeria since the beginning of the pandemic. The U.S. government remains committed to providing continued assistance to the Algerian people as the world faces an unprecedented global challenge.”
Acting Assistant Secretary of State Joey Hood announced delivery of the $2.6 million field hospital during his visit to Algeria on July 27, and construction began the following day. The unit is mobile and entirely self-contained, including for purposes of water and electricity. An experienced team can reassemble the field hospital in as little as three days.
The Defense Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Algeria, Colonel Chris D’Amico, added, “We are also planning to deliver a second, identical field hospital to the Ministry of Health in the coming months.”