GLCs, GLICs, private sector say contributed RM51.5m for Covid-19 fight

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 ― A total of RM51.5 million has been contributed by several government-linked companies (GLCs), government-linked investment companies (GLICs) and the private sector, to aid medical workers in the fight against Covid-19.

In a statement today, the GLC/GLIC Disaster Response Network (GDRN) said the contribution is being used to support the Ministry of Health (MOH), in a coordinated and streamlined manner, for the purchasing of medical supplies.

“Of the RM51.5 million, RM42.6 million has been allocated to support MOH to purchase medical supplies, and RM8.9 million was spent on various humanitarian aid assistance for families, front liners and stranded university students.ADVERTISING

“Pharmaniaga Berhad has been managing the bulk of the coordination and implementation of the sourcing, procurement, handling, warehousing and distribution of these medical supplies, the statement read.

GDRN said it facilitated in the purchasing of 136 ventilators, 32 patient monitors, 55 blood pressure monitors, 220 units of oral/ infrared thermometers, 75 stethoscopes, 2.693 coverall suits, 53,000 disposable face shields, 13,500 boxes of examinations gloves, 59,520 face masks, six wheelchairs and payment for 140 medical volunteers.

“Most of the distribution of medical supplies to hospitals will commence this week onwards, as orders start arriving. Typically, the turnaround time from arrival at Pharmaniaga warehouse to distribution at hospitals is around 24-30 hours,” Shahira Ahmed Bazari, the managing director of Yayasan Hasanah,who is also the Secretariat of the GDRN, together with TM, said.

She said that 20 ventilators have been sent to three hospitals: Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang (five units), Ampang Hospital (five units), and Selayang Hospital (20 units).

Shahira said that the GLCs, GLICs and the private sector have also been working directly with NGOs to aid Malaysians affected by the pandemic, including needy families and students.

The GDRN was created in 2013 through the Putrajaya Committee for GLC High Performance with Khazanah Nasional Bhd as its secretariat.

The network was successfully deployed between 2013 and 2016 for various relief and reconstruction work, especially in the big floods in Kelantan, Pahang, and Johor, amongst others.

Source : https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/04/02/glcs-glics-private-sector-say-contributed-rm51.5m-for-covid-19-fight/1852891