Turkey to send medical aid to Turkic countries

ANKARA

Turkey will send medical aid to Northern Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan under bilateral agreements it signed with these countries, according to the country's Official Gazette on Thursday.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will receive a long list of medical supplies through its respective treaty with Turkey signed on July 8.

As a “gesture of friendship and goodwill”, Turkey will donate medical supplies, including five ambulances, 10 ventilators, 20,000 test kits, 20,000 viral nucleic acid isolation kits, 100,000 surgical masks, 50,000 N95 masks, 20,000 coveralls, and two PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test machines.

Separately, under Turkey's agreement with Azerbaijan signed on July 6 in the Turkish capital Ankara, 30 hi-flow ventilation devices, 35,000 coveralls, 50,000 N95 masks, 100,000 surgical masks, 5,000 protective glasses, and 200,000 gloves will be sent.

Drugs will also be included, with 20,000 boxes of hydroxychloroquine -- used for coronavirus treatment -- and 20,000 boxes of Tamiflu.

Turkey, based on another agreement, will donate to the Kyrgyz government 20 units of ventilators, 50,000 N95 masks, 100,000 surgical masks, 35,000 pairs of overalls, 2,000 face shields, 20,000 diagnostic kits, 20,000 viral nucleic acid isolation kits, 50 portable pieces of oxygen concentrator and 10,000 boxes of hydroxychloroquine -- used for coronavirus treatment.

Two countries also signed the agreement on July 7.

As part of a separate deal between Turkey and Kazakhstan signed on July 1, Turkey will donate three ventilators.

The aid will be used towards primary health services in Kazakhstan.

Turkey has sent medical aid to roughly 140 countries to help combat the novel coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 has claimed more than 707,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since last December.

Over 18.8 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the US, Brazil, India, and Russia currently the hardest-hit countries, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Data shows more than half of all patients -- over 11.3 million -- have recovered.