The most effective manner companies and hospitals found to tackle the uncertainty in our lives caused by the new coronavirus was to join forces and make a collective contribution to a common good: the health of all Portuguese.
There are many examples all over the country of companies that have adapted their business or made donations aimed at improving and facilitating access to materials for the prevention and treatment of covid-19. “All these partnerships are particularly important due to the fact they are enabling us to make further progress in the area of health”, explains doctor João Gouveia.
Besides believing that the pandemic has turned out to be an “opportunity for us to do different things and to get to know each other better”, the specialist, who is right on the front line in the fight against the virus, praises the solidarity and ability to reinvent of Portuguese companies. In a phase in which the country is attempting to regain a certain normality, João Gouveia believes this situation can be an experience to be learned from for the future: “Companies can always find a way of collaborating and acting in a charitable manner”.
In partnership with several national entities – the General Department of Health (DGS), the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) and hospitals – Galp was one of the first Portuguese companies to express concern when the alarm was raised in March. “At the time, when we all envisaged an extremely bleak outlook for the future, this assistance was essential”, acknowledges the coordinator of the National Response of Intensive Care Medicine to Covid-19.
GALP'S CONTRIBUTION
- The provision of 171 ventilators to the national health services of Portugal, Cape Verde, Eswatini, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique;
- Support provided to INEM through the donation of 115,000 litres of fuel to ensure their services are never interrupted;
- With the aim of keeping communities informed and combating misinformation, Galp provided more than 2,500 outdoor advertising spaces around the country and the equivalent of more than 340,000 digital advertising print-outs as a means of disclosing prevention and awareness messages;
- The Truck of Hope spent a month travelling the entire length of the country, performing around 100 Covid-19 tests a day;
- The distribution of over 31,000 units of individual protection material (masks, gloves and visors) to civil protection authorities and fire brigades, in addition to IPSS (Private Charities) and Galp clients;
- The implementation of the “United for Portugal" initiative in conjunction with the Portuguese Football Federation, aimed at raising funds for the purchase of hospital supplies and support for healthcare professionals. This cause has so far raised more than 400,000 euros.
To find out more about these and other measures designed to help respond to the social emergency caused by the pandemic, click here.