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Thursday March 28, 2024

Tencent’s medical supplies reach Pakistan to combat COVID-19

September 19, 2020

ISLAMABAD: A delivery of 300,000 surgical masks, 100,000 KN95 respirators and 50 units of ventilators arrived in batches to Pakistan as a courtesy of global technology company Tencent to support the hospital’s efforts in saving lives.

Progressive Education Network (PEN), a non-profit that provides free education to 64,000 children nationwide, and The Indus Hospital (TIH), a group of tertiary care multidisciplinary hospitals, are working jointly to provide medical supplies donated by Tencent to healthcare workers all over Pakistan.

Progressive Education Network operates 255 public schools in 15 districts of Pakistan where it has distributed food rations among 11,100 families of its students during the COVID-19 lockdown.

PEN is also distributing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which included masks, gloves, goggles, body suits and sanitizers, among healthcare staff in 103 hospitals in 43 cities of the country. PEN and The Indus Hospital have partnered to aid the healthcare workers by providing them essential protective equipment free-of-cost.

To aid this effort, Tencent, one of the global leading technology companies with presence in Pakistan through popular products such as PUBG Mobile and Tencent Cloud, offers a lending hand with a donation of 300,000 surgical masks, 100,000 KN95 respirators and 50 units of ventilators. The donation arrived in Sindh in batches in early June.

“PEN is working hard to support our nation’s healthcare staff as they make personal sacrifices during this pandemic,” said Omar Khayyam Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Progressive Education Network. “With help from Tencent, we can amplify our efforts to aid healthcare workers on the front lines of this battle.”

The Indus Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Abdul Bari Khan said that a donation such as this from Tencent not only helps the health authorities in Pakistan, but also boosts morale and signifies that this is a collective fight and we will get through this global crisis together.

He added, “Close to 20% of the COVID-19 testing is happening in Indus Hospital’s laboratory based in Karachi.