STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Since early 2021, the World Bank has been supporting Mongolia’s response to COVID-19, while helping the country prepare for future health crises.

• So far, more than 6,100 pieces of medical equipment worth over $16 million have been provided to all provincial and district hospitals as well as central hospitals in Ulaanbaatar.

• The project also supported the training of doctors and nurses in emergency care, infection control measures and public information campaigns, as well as the national vaccination campaign.

When 43-year-old Iderzaya Davaajav first contracted COVID-19, he barely knew what he was going through. With no known pre-existing conditions, he was admitted to hospital with 95% of his lungs damaged.

“It was getting very difficult to breathe…” Iderzaya said. “I worried a lot. I was worried about my children and my family.

Iderzaya was hospitalized for 41 days as his lungs were infected with the coronavirus and could not function.

“When I received treatment in the intensive care unit, I saw firsthand the benefits of improved health services in the hospital. Doctors regularly took tests and pictures, using modern mobile equipment next to my bed, so I didn’t have to be moved to other places,” he said.

Iderzaya is now fully recovered. He is convinced that without the doctors and the equipment, his life would have been in danger.

“We are truly fortunate to have this state of the art equipment in our hospital. It saves lives. It has saved the lives of Iderzaya and many other young and old men and women we have treated in hospital since COVID -19 We are happy to have this efficient equipment on hand to facilitate our treatment. S. Narangerel, Deputy Director, Third State Hospital of Mongolia

Prepare for the crisis

Mobile X-rays, ventilators and other types of equipment were part of the package funded under the World Bank-backed Mongolian COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Sector Preparedness Project. The project responds to Mongolia’s emergency needs while helping the country prepare for future health crises.

“The project was approved in April 2020, when we had no local outbreaks of COVID-19 [in Mongolia]. Thanks to our early action, we were able to prepare for the local outbreak,” said Dr Buyantogtokh, project manager at the Ministry of Health. “It made a huge difference. When the first patients started to be admitted to hospitals at the end of 2020, we were already prepared, so the treatment was very effective.

So far, more than 6,100 units of medical equipment worth more than $16 million have been provided to all provincial and district hospitals as well as central hospitals in Ulaanbaatar. This has not only helped hospitals improve infection prevention control and patient care, but also increased their diagnostic, laboratory and treatment capacity. The project also supported training for doctors, nurses and paramedics in emergency departments, as well as infection control measures and public information campaigns. An additional $1 million grant has been awarded through the Pandemic Emergency Funding Mechanism to help the country provide more than 4 million pieces of personal protective equipment to healthcare providers and workers at high-risk screening points.

A World Bank-facilitated procurement mechanism helped ensure the delivery of high-quality equipment amid growing global demand. “The fact that we were able to source the equipment at an ex-factory price, under very tight timelines and in the midst of a global shortage of medical supplies is something we are very pleased with and proud of,” said J.Bayartogtokh, Purchasing Manager. project specialist.

**Safe and effective vaccines for everyone**

In February 2021, additional funding of $50.7 million (from an original $26.9 million) for the project was approved to support equitable and affordable access to COVID-19 vaccines, as well as continued response and recovery efforts. The funding supported Mongolia’s nationwide vaccination campaign, which took place in early 2021. To date, around 2.2 million people – more than two-thirds of the total population – have received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Since August 2021, Mongolia has started administering boosters, as well as vaccines to 12 to 17 year olds.

“Aging infrastructure has made it difficult to stock and deploy routine childhood vaccines across the country,” said Dashpagma, head of the immunization unit at the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD). “The influx of COVID-19 vaccines for most of the adult population exacerbated this problem, so we urgently needed a comprehensive solution.”

To cope with aging infrastructure and insufficient vaccine storage capacity, a new vaccine and bioproduct storage center was completed in three months with project funding and opened in August 2021. The facility The vaccine storage facility – four times larger than the old facility – was built in accordance with high international standards. The facility is energy efficient, earthquake resistant and fully equipped with modern engineering and safety systems to ensure safe and efficient deployment. The project purchased 800 refrigerators, 34 ultra-cold chain equipment and 10 cold rooms for a total of $2.9 million, which were installed in both the central warehouse and vaccination units across the country. country.

“With this new facility, we are proud to say that Mongolia’s vaccine storage and cold chain capacity has entered a new stage. , ensuring that all people, including those living in remote areas, are vaccinated.”Dr. S. Altanchimeg, has worked in the NCCD handling vaccine storage for over 20 years.

Beyond health

The World Bank is also helping Mongolia mitigate the worst impacts of the pandemic and achieve better results in education, social protection, governance, and small and medium enterprises. Social insurance support has provided direct relief to around 120,000 people enrolled in the country’s voluntary scheme – including the self-employed, micro-entrepreneurs and informal employees – as well as formal sector workers and employers. This has helped people cover day-to-day expenses during the crisis while maintaining access to pensions, disability and unemployment benefits, and paid maternity leave. In addition, the World Bank has mobilized $5 million through an education project to support the government’s Child Money program, which benefits more than one million children.

“As a doctor myself, I know that the equipment, vaccines and training provided have helped prevent many deaths from COVID-19 and improved medical care for other illnesses,” said the project manager, Kate Mandeville.