DUSHANBE, December 2, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- To prevent swine flu pandemic, Tajikistan has purchased US$574,000 worth of equipment, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

The source at a MoH said that the equipment had been purchased due to financial support provided by the World Bank and the European Commission.

24 artificial pulmonary ventilation (APV) machines, four heart resuscitators, four incinerators for destroying disposable syringes and other supplies have been delivered to Tajikistan.  Besides, 20 functional medical beds for a total amount of US$36,000 have been purchased with support from the mentioned donors, the source said.

He added that one-day consultations on swine flu prevention measures have been conducted for 650 non-medical personnel of the Committee for Emergency Situations (CES), the Ministry of Defense (MoD) and the State Committee for National Security (GKNB).

Informational-consultative events have also been conducted for the population in Roghun, Qurghon Teppa, Kulob and Bokhtar so far.  Similar events will be conducted in other regions of the country in the near future as well, the source said.