On April 25, Cynthia Akuetteh, the US Ambassador to Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe, officially donated both a medical ambulance and a utility vehicle to the Mabanda health center in Nyanga province, in the south of the country.
This donation is part of the Humanitarian Assistance Excess Property Program run by the U. S. Military Command for Africa (AFRICOM). In May 2015, Senator Prosper Mabiala submitted a letter requesting assistance.
In his letter, Senator Mabiala asked for help in addressing the lack of emergency means of transport in Mabanda, a locality enclosed within the borders of the department of Doutsila near Congo.
The equipment, valued at $ 126,509 (more than 75 million CFA francs), will make it much easier to evacuate patients and transport them to better-equipped health facilities in the event of medical emergencies.
The donation ceremony was honored by the presence of the administrative and health authorities of the region including Governor Sany Megwazeb.
In addition, the local population, enthusiastically welcomed the donation by showing up in large numbers.
The Mayor of Mabanda, the Regional Health Director and Senator Mabiala warmly thanked the American government, promising on behalf of the people to make good use of these valuable new acquisitions.
Ambassador Akuetteh responded by expressing her hope that those vehicles serve the community well for years to come.
