Channa Jayasumana, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals symbolically accepting the donation from Bingumal Thewarathanthri, CEO, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka 

Standard Chartered Sri Lanka recently donated essential medical equipment worth over US$ 116,500 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 US$ 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 US$ 41,500 to the Ministry of Health (MOH) via the SLRCS. The donation was symbolically presented to the Hon. State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals in the presence of officials from Standard Chartered and the SLRCS.

Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka 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 US$ 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.

Anuk De Silva, Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka 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.”