KARACHI: As part of a Rs1 billion pledge by Hussain Dawood, Engro Foundation — the social investment arm of Engro Corporation — has launched an initiative to donate 459,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) worth Rs100 million for front-line healthcare practitioners treating Covid-19 patients.

According to a press release, in the first phase, 104,000 units of protective gear worth Rs20m have already been delivered to 12 hospitals and medical centres in Karachi, Thar, Multan, Lahore, Gujrat, Peshawar, Rahimyar Khan, Muzzafargarh, Quetta and Mardan. The donated protective equipment includes face masks, safety gowns, face shields, surgical gloves and intubation boxes.

For this initiative, Engro is closely collaborating with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and provincial governments to identify short medical supplies, most-impacted areas and health institutions that require urgent support in the battle against Covid-19.

President and CEO of Engro Corporation Ghias Khan appreciated the continued support, close coordination and assistance extended by NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal for distribution of PPEs.

According to Lieutenant General Afzal, “The nature of job puts healthcare workers at an increased risk of being infected with Covid-19. Therefore, we would like to highly appreciate Engro for this PPE distribution that will protect our health workers and prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country.”

KN95 masks donated

ICI Pakistan Pharmaceuticals, in collaboration with AstraZeneca UK Limited, on Tuesday donated 10,000 KN95 masks to the Drug Regulatory Authority, Ministry of National Health Services of Pakistan, in response to calls for PPE for healthcare workers and other front-line responders battling Covid-19.

In a press release, the vice-president of ICI Pakistan, Aamer Malik, said: “We not only have to ensure business continuity and manufacturing in this difficult time to bring life-saving drugs to market, but to do everything in our power to protect our communities.

“We extend our deepest appreciation to the many healthcare providers who are doing so much and risking their lives to help affected patients and communities, and to our own employees who are focused on maintaining supplies in these unprecedented times.”

Since the reporting of first case of coronavirus in the country, ICI Pakistan has donated PPEs to the government and various institutions, having committed close to Rs10 million to this effort, Mr Malik said.

As a member of the Pharma Bureau Pakistan, the company has also participated in the effort to help equip the Covid-19 unit at the Civil Hospital, Karachi, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2020