Chinese Billionaire philanthropist Jack Ma on Monday, April 5, dispatched a second consignment of donations to all the 54 African States, in a bid to help in the fight against Covid-19.
The richest man in Asia had in March donated 1.1 million testing kits, six million masks and 60,000 protective suits and face shields to the African continent in its fight against Covid-19.
''Our second donation to 54 countries in Africa is on the way. That includes 500 ventilators, 200,000 suits and face shields, 2,000 thermometers, 1 million swabs and extraction kits and 500,000 gloves,'' Jack Ma announced on Twitter.
According to the World Health Organization, Africa has so far recorded more than 8,000 cases of the Covid-19. Although the infection is occurring at a slower pace than the hardest-hit places, WHO says more resources are needed to curtail the spread of the disease on the continent.
The donations dispatched by Jack Ma include 500 ventilators, a critical device that uses pressure to blow air into weakened lungs to assist Covid-19 patients to breath.
The machine works by bringing oxygen to the lungs and taking carbon dioxide out. This allows a patient who has trouble breathing to receive the proper amount of oxygen.
The devices shall be distributed by Ethiopian airlines all over Africa at a cost covered by the Ethiopian government.
Mombasa County has so far acquired 30 ventilators to help in the fight against Covid-19.
In March, when donating the first batch of critical equipment needed in the fight against coronavirus, Jack Ma expressed his committment to working with local health workers in order to better healthcare in Africa.
''We cannot ignore the potential risk to Africa and assume this continent of 1.3 billion people will blissfully escape this crisis. The world cannot afford the unthinkable consequences of a Covid-19 pandemic in Africa,” said Ma.
