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Maybank announces RM4m support for MERCY’s COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness & Response Plan

31 March 2020

Maybank announces RM4m support for MERCY’s COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness & Response Plan

On 23 March 2020, Maybank had announced an immediate cash contribution of RM4 million to be channelled through MERCY Malaysia’s COVID-19 Pandemic Fund, in support of its COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. The contribution will help ensure aid is speedily provided to alleviate the impact to the severely burdened healthcare system as a result of this outbreak as well as reduce the humanitarian challenge faced by frontlines and volunteers working tirelessly to contain the further widespread of the virus.

This initiative will also help ensure all communities are well prepared, especially those with the weakest health systems, in addition to supporting the country’s formal health system through the Ministry of Health as well as the Crisis Preparedness Response Centre (CPRC). Maybank Chairman Datuk Mohaiyani Shamsudin said that contribution was part of the Group’s commitment to support the Government’s efforts to halt the spread of the Covid19 virus within the shortest time possible and to enable to country and its people to return to a path of normality. “As an organisation with a mission of humanising financial services, we have always ensured that our role goes beyond just driving economic growth for the country and region, but also in ensuring the well-being of our communities at all times, more so during critical moments such as the current Covid-19 situation which has stretched the resources of the country.” “The world is experiencing an unprecedented impact from this COVID-19 virus outbreak which has caused disruptions at so many levels, ultimately impacting all of mankind. We hope our support through Mercy Malaysia can relieve some of the burden faced by the frontliners and volunteers by providing adequate supply of equipment, so as to enable uninterrupted medical treatment to be administered as well as accelerate the containment of the virus all together,” she said. Datuk Mohaiyani added that together with MERCY Malaysia, assistance will be delivered within a continuous cycle of total disaster risk management that focuses on prevention; preparedness; response; and recovery. Through the provision of additional manpower and operational supplies at important contact areas,recruited volunteers will able to implement the knowledge and experience from other pandemic and health related missions and will function as supporting task force to the frontliners. “This approach will allow it to be readily integrated into the broader emergency arrangements. It will also assist those who are implementing activities during the health emergency phase while providing livelihood assistance to marginalised and at atriskcommunities that are directly or indirectly impacted by the pandemic,” explained Datuk Mohaiyani. Meanwhile, Dato’ Dr Faizal Mohd Perdaus, President of MERCY Malaysia said, “As the reality of the response to the COVID-19 situation in the country sets in, a lot of systemic inequality is exposed, leading to the setup of MERCY Malaysia’s COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. In this regard, we are certainly grateful to Maybank for delivering this truly benevolent financial assistance package which truly has the wellbeing of the Malaysian people at heart. This is certainly a big step forward in Malaysia’s fight against COVID-19, and we look forward to seeing the fruition of their efforts in the coming weeks,”

The funding will support efforts to prevent, detect and respond to the rapid spread of
COVID-19 within the country by reducing the humanitarian burden of the country through
the following means:

  • Supply of 4,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) level-2 in ensuring Continuity of health and nutrition services throughput the response and recovery period;
  • Supply of 2,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) level-1 in ensuring continuity of health support for community-at-risk during the response and recovery period;
  • Supply of 30,000 disposable gloves;
  • Support deployment of 100 medical personnel to assist screenings and early assessment;
  • Food assistance for 1,000 frontline health workers for two weeks;
  • Supply of essential kits (2,000 bottles of sanitizers, 5,000 hand soaps, 200 contactless thermometers, 1,000 sets of toothpastes and toothbrushes, and 1,000 hand towels) to health facilities as part of infection prevention and control;
  • Supply of 2,500 clothing sets to targeted most marginalized communities;
  • Construction of 500 hand washing stations for targeted most marginalized communities;
  • Production and distribution of 30,000 information, education and communication (IEC) material packs to support messaging aligned with Ministry of Health’s messages on risk prevention and preparedness; and
  • Support of epidemic / pandemic risk reduction training for 10,000 families from selected at-risk-communities.

 

Maybank is also enabling the public to help support MERCY Malaysia’s COVID-19 Pandemic Fund through its online crowdfunding platform MaybankHEART. Contributions towards the fund can be made via https://maybankheart.com or https://www.mercy.org.my/donate/ or by contacting MERCY Malaysia at +603 7733 5929.