Doctors with Africa CUAMM launched today at Cremona Hospital the new triage facility built over the last few months, in order to mitigate the effect of the COVID-19 epidemic. This new structure, funded by the U.S. Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will serve as a frontline reception space, allowing health staff to screen suspected cases of COVID-19, improve patient flow and ensure the safety of people accessing the hospital.
Gianluca Galimberti, mayor of Cremona, attended the ceremony, with Vito Danilo Gagliardi, prefect of Cremona, and Giuseppe Rossi, general director of ASST Cremona. Representing Doctors with Africa CUAMM were Director Fr. Dante Carraro together with Andrea Atzori, chief of party of IRC19.
Andrea Atzori, chief of party of Doctors with Africa CUAMM’s “Italian Response to Covid-19” project (IRC19) stated, “This is the first of a series of new health facilities we are going to inaugurate through Italy in the upcoming months. This is part of a larger project that aims to create more resilient healthcare facilities and communities and to provide training for the future generation of healthcare professionals. This contribution is a concrete sign of the engagement of CUAMM not only in Africa but also in Italy. We see how important knowledge gathered in many years of work in epidemics in Africa, today is fundamental in Italy as well. We can provide support to the Cremona hospital thanks to the U.S. Government, which is supporting a number of initiatives in Italy, aiming at reducing the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.”
Fr. Dante Carraro, director of Doctors with Africa CUAMM, adds, “As CUAMM, we have been working in Africa for 70 years. Many of our doctors, who haveworked in emergencies and epidemics in Africa, wanted to put their experience to use for the service of Italy. Over the last years, we have created in Italy a network of support groups, trainers, and researchers from 32 universities engaged in the theme of Global Health, which is key if we want to overcome this emergency. Now we are eager to share this experience and know-how with our own communities, putting it even more at their service during this health crisis. This pandemic shows us that we are globally linked: the virus does not look at the borders, neither should solidarity.”
USAID is the U.S. Government’s premiere development organization operating in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Robert Needham, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Milan, sent this message:
“The United States is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the government and people of Italy as we do everything in our collective power to mitigate the threat of COVID-19. The triage facility at the Cremona Hospital is one important element of the $60 million in COVID-19 assistance the U.S. government has already provided to Italy, much of it through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Our partnership with Doctors with Africa CUAMM represents the second time we have worked with Cremona Hospital to address Italy’s needs in saving lives in the fight against COVID-19. In March 2020, we supported Samaritan’s Purse, an American faith-based humanitarian organization, in setting up an emergency field hospital in partnership with Cremona Hospital. We know that providing critical assistance will not only help the Italian people, but can help stop the spread of infection to Europe and the United States. We all have a lot at stake and we must confront this global threat together.”
This press release is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Doctors with Africa CUAMM, recipient of the Fixed Amount Award (FAA) No. 7200AA20FA00013 and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
