Seylan Bank’s contribution towards fight against COVID-19 reaches Rs. 20 m

Staff donates a day’s pay towards relief efforts

As the world battles with the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Seylan Bank in a joint initiative with its staff members has supported the Sri Lankan community with several initiatives to combat the impact of the pandemic. 

On 4 May, the Bank handed over 5,500 face shields for the safety of Police officers across the Western Province to the Inspector General of Police in an event held at the Police Head Quarters in Fort, with the participation of Acting IGP C.D Wickramaratne, City Traffic Western Province Director SP Kamal Pushpakumara, Seylan Bank Director/CEO Kapila Ariyaratne along with senior officials from the Bank  DGM (Branches) Chitral De Silva, Head of Marketing and Sales Gamika De Silva, DGM (Human Resources) Jayantha Amarasinghe and Chief Manager (Human Resources) Amanthi Motha.

At a meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on 5 May, the Bank also made a donation of Rs. 2.5 million to the President’s COVID-19 Fund and pledged support to the national fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Seylan Bank also handed over 3000 face shields to officials from the Public Health Inspectors’ Union of Sri Lanka representing Upul Rohana at a ceremony held at the Bank’s Head Office on 6 May. These face shields will be utilised to ensure the personal safety of Public Health Inspectors working throughout the country to combat COVID-19. Seylan Bank took steps to source all face shields from a 100% local manufacturer, in the interest of uplifting local businesses during a time of crisis.

Commenting on the initiatives, Seylan Bank CEO Kapila Ariyaratne said: “We truly commend and are extremely grateful to the frontline officers who are working tirelessly each day to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. We take this opportunity to pledge our continuous support towards the nation during these challenging times through these donations. These donations would not have been possible without the generous support of our staff who have so willingly pledged to donate a days’ salary, which was equally matched by the Bank to make a sizeable fund towards assisting the nation in its time of need, needless to say, the Bank and its staff are also fully committed to providing essential banking services to the country and working with all our customers to ensure that we overcome the economic challenges posed by this pandemic.” 

The initial donation of face shields is the first of several initiatives planned by the Bank in consultation with the Ministry of Health officials to best support their efforts. Through the implementation of this project and other ongoing efforts through its vast branch network, Seylan Bank is planning to distribute a total of 9,000 face shields among Police Officers and Public Health Inspectors island-wide in days to come.

Overall, the total collection, including the contribution towards the president’s fund from the Bank, stands at over Rs. 20 million. The balance amount that was raised through the fund will be invested in constructing an additional fully equipped ward to expand the Intensive Care Unit at the Colombo East Base Hospital - a major service provider in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. 

As the Bank with a Heart, Seylan Bank remains fully committed towards providing a service that goes beyond banking. It strives to ensure all customers’ financial well-being while working towards upholding the safety of this nation by supporting the nation’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.