![](https://business.inquirer.net/files/2020/04/3413D2BC-0FB6-406D-93C7-047B2FA50F24-620x465.jpeg)
SMC has delivered first 40,000 PPEs to 60 hospitals, including Quirino Memorial Medical Center.
Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. has delivered the first 40,000 sets of imported protective gear to over 60 health facilities in the country, fortifying medical front-liners in the war against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today (April 20), SMC also expects to get hold of the first 10,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) coveralls from local garment manufacturers through the Department of Trade and Industry.
The local manufacturers tapped by the DTI belong to the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP).
“We are inspired by how companies and individuals are coming together in new ways to address the challenges of COVID-19. We thank the DTI and the CONWEP for this. We stay committed to helping ease the strain on our medical system and protecting our medical health workers,” SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said.
Recently, SMC started donating the first batch of ventilators to five public hospitals while awaiting delivery of more machines along with high-flow oxygen devices needed to treat COVID-19 patients.
These life-saving ventilators were delivered to Philippine General Hospital, San Lazaro Hospital, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, East Avenue Medical Center and Lung Center of the Philippines. Fifty-five units of high-flow oxygen device will also be delivered in the coming days.
The latest donation is part of the P500-million fund that the conglomerate earmarked to help and protect medical front-liners.
Apart from their protective gear, “our medical front-liners are in dire need of equipment to combat this pandemic. Again, I couldn’t be more proud of how everyone in our group is stepping up to the plate. They continue to work day and night to find ways to help our country overcome this unprecedented challenge,” Ang said.
Despite the huge global demand, SMC assures that it continued to tap into the global supply chain to provide much-needed supplies and help medical facilities that are overwhelmed with patients.
The first 40,000 PPE sets were procured by SMC from China and flown in via a chartered plane.