SM Group announced that it will be donating P100 million to government hospitals to aid in the efforts against COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

Said allocation has been extended to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and Research Institute for Tropical Management (RITM) “for their urgent needs and for improving their laboratory testing capacity.”

[READ: Face masks needed: call for protective equipment donations from hospitals and organizations]

SM Prime’s Hans Sy said this move is “to ensure the safety of medical frontliners.” 

“SM is bringing in personal protective equipment (PPE)—face masks, gowns, visors, hoods, gloves, and shoe covers, as well as urgent medical supplies to help government hospitals who badly need them,” Sy added.

The UP Medical Foundation Inc., one of the beneficiaries of the donation, will be receiving PPE and medical supplies that will be distributed to a wider network of hospitals.

20,000 test kits are will also be distributed for free through this effort as SM has reached out to Manila Healthtek Inc. to make the tests widely available for government hospitals, once approved for use.

The government has allocated P27.1 billion for those who will be affected by the COVID-19 disruption, including workers in affected sectors through targeted and direct programs.

The Department of Finance said they have set aside P3.1 billion to purchase more testing kits, funded through the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and a grant from the Asian Development Bank.

Header image courtesy of Philippine General Hospital Facebook page

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