WZ Johannes Public Hospital and the East Nusa Tenggara Police Hospital received the donated protective gear, Pertamina's Manager for the East Nusa Tenggara Retail Sales Area, Ahmad Thohir, informed local journalists in Kupang.
The personal protective equipment that Pertamina donated to the two hospitals, through its Marketing Operation Region (MOR) V for East Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara Office, is part of the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) to bolster the government's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he stated.
This medical assistance program is expected to help those on the frontline in the battle against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, he stated, adding that Pertamina had until now disbursed Rp700 million for handling the COVID-19 program in East Nusa Tenggara.
Coronavirus infections initially surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019.
Since then, COVID-19 has spread to over 215 countries and territories, including 34 provinces of Indonesia, with a massive spurt in death toll.
The Indonesian government officially confirmed the country's first cases on March 2 this year. This COVID-19 pandemic is undeniably a huge crisis in human history.
Gauging its wide-ranging impact on public health and the socio-economic sectors, the Indonesian government has also encouraged companies and community members to help those bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 outbreak.
To this end, state-owned contractor PT Wijaya Karya (WIKA) has also allocated CSR funds amounting to Rp3.14 billion to be disbursed to assist frontline medical workers at hospitals along with community members.
The CSR funds were channeled to provide crucial essential items, including hazmat suits, face masks, and medical equipment, to several hospitals in Jakarta to fight the novel coronavirus disease, WIKA corporate secretary Mahendra Vijaya stated.
Jakarta's National Brain Center Hospital, Columbia Hospital in Pulomas, Pondok Kopi Islamic Hospital, and Fatmawati Public Hospital were among the recipients of the aid, Vijaya revealed in a press statement received by ANTARA in Jakarta recently.
WIKA, along with other state-owned enterprises, helped fund the operations of a public kitchen in the Utan Kayu neighborhood of Matraman, East Jakarta, in providing daily meals to the needful, he stated.
The contributions by Pertamina and WIKA mirror the calls for mutual cooperation, echoed earlier by President Joko Widodo.
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Translator: Kornelis K, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
