Bangkok--26 Mar--124 Communications Consulting
Medical supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation were formally received by the Ministry of Public Health at a handover ceremony today. This first batch of supplies – which included face masks, protective suits and face shields – arrived in Bangkok yesterday via a specially chartered flight.
Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, took receipt of the donations from James Dong, CEO of Lazada Thailand in representation of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation. The Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with the Government Pharmaceutical Organization of Thailand, will transport and distribute the supplies across the nation.
The shipment is part of the donations of medical supplies to four Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines announced on March 19. The four nations will receive a combined total of 2 million face masks, test kits for 150,000 people, 20,000 protective suits and 20,000 face shields.
“Thailand is faced with a time of unprecedented challenges like many countries around the world, however we are determined to win the fight against the pandemic. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation for their timely and much-needed assistance as we are making our best efforts to adjust to a rapidly evolving situation,” said Anutin Charnvirakul.
“We hope the donations will help Thailand to contain Covid-19. We are doing all that we can to support the global community. The biggest challenge is getting medical supplies to where it is needed in the fastest way possible, but we are working very hard to get it done,” said the Jack Ma Foundation.
A second batch of medical supplies will be dispatched later this week.
This donation is among a number of aid initiatives from the Alibaba Foundation and Jack Ma Foundation to support the areas of the world most affected by the Covid-19 crisis, sourcing and delivering various types of medical supplies to Asia, United States, Africa, Italy, Belgium, France, Slovenia, Spain and Latin America. The eWTP (Electronic World Trade Platform), which has played a key role in the speedy delivery of medical supplies in this global relief effort, is a not-for-profit initiative first proposed by Jack Ma in 2016 to help foster a more integrated, inclusive environment for cross-border electronic trade.
The Foundations are also funding research and development of Covid-19 virus treatment options in China and at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Australia) and Columbia University (USA). Further donations are expected to be announced over the coming days and weeks.
The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation have published and distributed a handbook detailing learnings and best practices from the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, for treating Covid-19 patients: https://covid-19.alibabacloud.com/
Follow @JackMa and @foundation_ma on Twitter for the latest efforts of Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation to support the global fight against COVID-19.
For more news and information about Alibaba Group, please visit the company's Thai-language content platform AlibabaNews Thai.
About Jack Ma Foundation
Established by Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, the Jack Ma Foundation was founded on December 15, 2014 and has been focusing on education, entrepreneurship, women’s leadership, and the environment. The Foundation aspires to be a reliable, participative, and sustainable philanthropic organization. The Jack Ma Foundation has so far supported projects worldwide including the Jack Ma Rural Education Program, the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative, the Ma & Morley Scholarship Program, and Jordan’s Queen Rania Foundation. Additionally, the Foundation has also funded a number of projects in its priority areas. The Jack Ma Foundation is committed to empowering rural educators, entrepreneurs, rural children, young start-ups, and women to equip them for the future and to help build a happier, healthier, more sustainable and more inclusive society.
About Alibaba Foundation The Alibaba Foundation, established in December 2011, aims to create a culture that encourages people to get involved in philanthropy, make it sustainable and genuinely contribute to civil society and nature. Its key funding aspects include water protection, environmental awareness promotion and development of green organizations. Alibaba Group is committed to devoting a percentage of its annual income to the Alibaba Foundation to ensure stable long-term funding that will allow for timely response in the event of natural disasters or expansion of philanthropic projects.