NGCP speeds up procurement of P500 million medical equipment donation

From The Philippine Star – April 19, 2020 – 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is fast-tracking the sourcing and distribution of medical equipment critical to combating COVID-19’s effect on patients and medical frontliners.

Medical equipment, including 12 ventilators, 32 powered air purifying respirator (PAPR), 200 closed suction system, is part of NGCP’s P1-billion donation to the national government’s COVID-19 relief and response efforts. The company will also be donating 10,000 test kits, 42,000 gallons of 70-percent alcohol, 3,800 gallons of disinfecting solutions, 2,100 infrared thermometers and two decontamination chambers.

Over 6.6 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for medical frontliners, including 3,000 hazmat suits, 65,000 full face shields, 3,300,000 gloves, a combined 3,000,000 N95 and surgical masks, 85,000 pairs of shoe covers, 75,000 disposable gowns, 60,000 surgical caps, and 45,000 goggles are also included in the donation.

“NGCP is working round-the-clock to source all medical equipment locally in order to expedite distribution. Barring unforeseen circumstances and unavoidable delays, NGCP is targeting to start distribution of medical equipment and supplies to big government hospitals in Metro Manila by the week of April 20 to 24, with the rest of identified public and private hospitals across the country in the coming weeks,” the company said.

Also part of the P1-billion donation is the ongoing distribution of P500 million worth of grocery items to select cities and municipalities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Distribution of grocery items began on Saturday, April 11.

Other COVID-19 donations by NGCP include a P5-million donation to Project Ugnayan, which distributes supermarket gift certificates to over 1.5 million economically displaced families in Metro Manila; earlier donations of medical supplies, PPEs, and meals to frontliners; and the Meals on Wheels program which distributes hot meals to communities affected by the extended enhanced community quarantine.

NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid, led by majority shareholders Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr.