Russian aluminium giant UC Rusal donated US$105 million in financial aid to regional health care programs across the country in efforts at combating the ongoing coronavirus pandemic this month.
The firm said in a press release that the funding has gone toward seven health care centers in Siberia and the Ural Mountains that opened a year ago to treat not only COVID-19 but also pneumonia. Rusal donated over US$52 million to construct the centers and to stock them with state-of-the-art medical equipment such as computer tomographs, high-tech ultrasound devices, oxygen stations, and laboratory and functional diagnostics devices.
The centers, which were built in only seven months, have treated over 13,500 people to date.
Rusal’s General Director Evgenii Nikitin said in a press release that its contributions toward the fight against coronavirus is more than just a monetary consideration.
“RUSAL is one of the first Russian companies to launch a full-scale healthcare support programme to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Our experience of providing critical medical facilities in Guinea to fight the Ebola epidemic prepared us well to address the urgent healthcare facilities we now need in Russia, especially in small, remote cities where there is often a lack of access to the latest medical equipment. RUSAL has donated more than $105 million (eight billion Russian Ruble) in the fight against COVID-19 since March 2020. But it is much more than a financial contribution – this is about creating a lasting legacy of giving back to those communities across the globe which really matter to us and providing care to the people who need it most.”
In addition to the medical centers mentioned above, Rusal has earmarked US$52 million for continuing the supply of medicines, personal protective equipment, ambulances, and oxygen concentrators. The firm has also organized online seminars with COVID-19 experts to connect with medical personnel in the field in order to exchange information and expertise.