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The Singapore Red Cross is raising funds for medical equipment, oxygen supplies, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to support communities in South East Asia and South Asia that are challenged to cope with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
In view of the escalating COVID-19 cases over the last few months, the Singapore Red Cross has initiated a public appeal "COVID-19 International Response Fund" to raise funds to deliver assistance and support communities in South Asia and Southeast Asia, that are affected or at risk of being affected by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
Funds raised will be channelled towards the purchase of oxygen supplies, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies to identified countries that urgently need them.
Countries in South Asia have seen daily cases jumping dramatically in recent weeks. The rise of the more transmissible Delta-variant is also another reason for the surge in COVID-19 infections across the countries.
<Update 17 July> Indonesia’s COVID-19 infections topped 40,000 for five straight days through Friday. Its daily Covid-19 case count has passed Brazil’s to become the worst in the world. In an
interview with Channel NewsAsia, Indonesian Red Cross Secretary General Sudirman Said shared his thoughts on the situation, and what’s being done to ensure sufficient hospital beds and oxygen supply.
<As announced at SRC's media briefing on 6 July> The Singapore Red Cross has already delivered 634 Oxygen concentrators, 10 ventilators, 351,000 surgical masks, 13,000 reusable face masks, 1,000 PPE gowns, and 150,000 latex gloves, to seven South Asian and Southeast Asian countries:
- Afghanistan
- Bhutan
- Indonesia
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Philippines and
- Sri Lanka.
SRC has also contributed S$125,000 for the purchase of medical supplies, and basic necessities for affected families, to the local Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and local non-governmental organisations in:
- Nepal
- Sri Lanka and
- Malaysia
Mr Benjamin William, Secretary General and CEO, Singapore Red Cross, said, “SRC will keep in close contact with our Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners in the region to understand the immediate needs of the various countries in the coming weeks. Future activities that SRC may undertake, aside from further procurement of medical items, may include livelihood activities. The aim is to enable people to cope with and recover from shocks and stresses and enhance their well-being, as well as for communities to be able to resume activities that allow them to make a living and secure the necessities of life.”
More details on the fundraising appeal are available on
redcross.sg
