Standard Chartered donates Rs. 23.6 m worth essential medical equipment to fight pandemic

State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana symbolically accepting the donation from Standard Chartered Sri Lanka CEO Bingumal Thewarathanthri, in the presence of Ministry, Red Cross and Standard Chartered officials (from left): Standard Chartered Sri Lanka Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing Manager Yehiya Kamal, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka Country Head of Property Renuka Nonis, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing Anuk De Silva,  State Ministry of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Secretary Dr. R.M.S.K. Rathnayake, State Ministry of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Director Planning Asanka Maithri Rathna, Sri Lanka Red Cross Society Deputy Director General Aruna Lekamge, and Sri Lanka Red Cross Society Assistant Manager – Infection Prevention Madhava De Alwis 

Standard Chartered Sri Lanka recently donated essential medical equipment worth over $ 116,500 (approximately Rs. 23.6 million) to the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) as a continuation of its commitment to support Sri Lanka’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donation was made up of two parts: The SLRCS received $ 75,000 for the procurement of crucial COVID-19 response equipment, including three ICU ventilators as well as Pulse Oximeters and Nebulisers, which will be distributed to treat the rising number of COVID-19 affected patients at the General and National Hospitals in the Western Province. The bank also donated 25 Oxygen Concentrators worth approximately $ 41,500 to the Ministry of Health (MOH) via the SLRCS. The donation was symbolically presented to the State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals in the presence of officials from Standard Chartered and the SLRCS.

Standard Chartered Sri Lanka CEO Bingumal Thewarathanthri said: “Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka has been contributing in various ways to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country. As a responsible corporate entity, we will continue such COVID relief efforts to help bring stability to the country’s health sector and pave the way for a faster economic recovery.”

Through the Standard Chartered Group’s COVID-19 Global Charitable Fund, which was launched last year, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka previously donated a total of $ 500,000 to the SLRCS for the procurement of approximately 13,000 COVID-19 testing kits as well as to support emergency relief activities that targeted the control and containment of coronavirus, precaution against infection, and public awareness to combat misinformation on COVID-19. 

Standard Chartered Sri Lanka Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing Anuk De Silva said, “In keeping with our brand promise to be here for good, it’s important for us to be a part of the ongoing efforts in protecting our communities and our country in the face of this pandemic. To that end, we are gratified to be supporting the many initiatives of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society.”

The Standard Chartered Group has further been assisting companies producing essential equipment to tackle COVID-19 with a not-for-profit financing commitment of $ 1 billion. As of today, multiple businesses in Sri Lanka have been able to complete over $ 45 million worth of drawdowns to expand their manufacturing capacity of PPE such as medical and protective gloves and face masks, as well as switch to produce and export essential PPE supplies overseas.