New Zealand donates P800-K to NKTI

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MANILA – The New Zealand embassy in Manila donated a total of PHP800,000 to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) for its procurement of additional personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and front-liners.

The embassy said two Filipino students approached Ambassador Peter Kell and appealed for PPE upon hearing that the center is having a shortage of equipment.

In their letter to the ambassador, Santino, and Lorenzo Tanjutco, Grade 11 students from Everest Academy said: “Both of us strongly believe that in a time of crisis such as the pandemic, nations should work together to be able to support one another.”

The New Zealand embassy approached the NKTI through its executive director, Dr. Rose Liquete, to facilitate the donation, which was turned over by Kell himself on Thursday.

“The boys could not have said it better, countries need to work together and New Zealand is here to support the Philippines in their fight against Covid-19. We recognize the need to support the health workers who are at the forefront of this battle,” the envoy said.

“This is just one aspect where New Zealand can help. We are working on other bigger projects that would help the Philippines’ response to the pandemic,” he added.

In a statement, Liquete on behalf of the NKTI thanked the embassy for the financial aid.

“This pandemic has truly exhausted our resources. Despite our annual procurement plan, we have not projected the sudden increase or demand for the use of PPE in our hospital operations. We at the NKTI are very grateful to the New Zealand embassy, as the donation will help our front-line health workers for their safety in managing Covid patients at the NKTI,” she said.

The donation was funded through New Zealand’s Higher Embassy Fund which supports small scale, short-term community projects that contribute to wider community well-being.

Other entities funded under the program include Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, Visayan Rugby Football Union, and Al Qalam Institute-Ateneo de Davao University.