Driven by an undeniable responsibility and its fundamental values, the Dawood Hercules Group and Engro Corporation are committed to solving some of today’s most pressing issues faced by Pakistan. Mr. Hussain Dawood, Chairman Dawood Hercules Corporation and Engro Corporation, has pledged PKR 1 billion on behalf of his Family and Group companies to support COVID-19 relief efforts on the below mentioned multiple fronts, as identified by a comprehensive research conducted by its member company Inbox Technologies:
- Disease prevention, with a major focus on testing and diagnostics;
- Protecting and enabling healthcare practitioners and other key workers, who are at the frontline of the fight against this pandemic;
- Enabling patient care and facilities; and,
- Bolstering livelihoods and sustenance of those most in need.
According to Mr. Hussain Dawood, “We as a family and as a Group are committed to playing our part in helping solve the most pressing issues of our time by helping our country overcome this pandemic. I pray that this aids the relief efforts and helps to reverse the tide of this pandemic.”
A high-level Steering Committee comprising top leadership and decision makers from across the Group, including Dawood Hercules Corporation, Reon Energy and Engro, has been formed to plan, execute and monitor the impact of various interventions under the Hussain Dawood Pledge. The Group firmly believes that we can only be successful if we stand together.The Group-wide approach and close collaboration has helped it to leverage the diverse nature of businesses and combined expertise of The Dawood Foundation and Engro Foundation in philanthropic activities, to maximize the impact of Hussain Dawood Pledge initiatives. Over the last two months, several implementation partners have been taken onboard to carry out projects aimed at reducing the spread and impact of the virus.
Engro Energy Limited has made a PKR 50 million donation to the Government of Sindh Corona Emergency Fund to support the provincial government’s fight against the pandemic. In the area of disease prevention, Engro Fertilizers has provided PKR 95 million in financial assistance to The Indus Hospital for “Sindh Screening Program – Free of Cost” campaign. Under this initiative, the Company has sponsored The Indus Hospital Network to expand COVID-19 testing capacity across rural Sindh, including Ghotki, Larkana, Nawabshah, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Tharparkar and Badin. Further, Engro Foundation – the social investment arm of Engro Corporation – has also provided PKR 60 million in financial assistance to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre to expand COVID-19 testing capacity across Southern Punjab, including Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar. These testing interventions will help in early detection and control of local virus transmission and strengthen the health sector to cope with the ongoing pandemic.
To protect frontline healthcare practitioners, the Engro Vopak and Engro Elengy Terminal teamshave worked tirelessly with Engro Foundation to donate 459,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) worth PKR 100 million. In the first phase, 104,000 units of protective gear worth PKR 20 million have already been delivered to 12 hospitals & medical centres in Karachi, Thar, Multan, Lahore, Gujrat, Peshawar, Rahimyar Khan, Muzzafargarh, Quetta and Mardan. The donated protective equipment includes face masks, safety gowns, face shields, surgical gloves and intubation boxes. For this initiative, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and provincial governments were engaged to identify short medical supplies, most-impacted areas and health institutions that required urgent support in the battle against COVID-19.
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Reon Energy and Engro Fertilizers have also worked closely with Sehat Kahani, a leading e-health solution provider, to use its telemedicine platform to promote quality healthcare for all amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the initiative, Sehat Kahani will be supported with the addition of 100 more doctors to the telemedicine app for greater number of virtual consultations. This purpose-driven partnership with Sehat Kahani aims to benefit citizens by democratizing healthcare access through integration of technology and innovative solutions, while also reducing the spread of COVID-19 due to no physical contact.
To enable enhanced patient care, Dawood Foundation — the charitable arm of the Dawood Hercules Group — has entered into a strategic partnership with The British Asian Trust to promote mental health support among frontline workers and the general population directly affected by COVID-19 pandemic. Under the program, outreach services will be developed to provide mental health support and referral for frontline workers, patients screened and tested for COVID-19 through the Indus Health Network and other partner hospitals, and the public in general as well. The program will be executed in collaboration with IRD Pakistan, a health delivery and research organization that has devised specific mental health interventions catered to healthcare providers and population affected by COVID-19.
As part of the Pledge, PKR 12 million has also been committed to establish an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-High Dependency Unit (HDU) at Nishtar Medical University & Hospital, Multan, to enhance COVID-19 patient care and facilities, in particular for the underprivileged sections of society. Under the project, the financial assistance will be used to set up and operationalize a 16-bed, dedicated ICU-HDU facility with medical equipment.
To promote the well-being of vulnerable and marginalized segments of the society in Pakistan on a sustainable basis, Engro Foundation has signed a three-year Memorandum of Cooperation with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Engro Foundation will be representing the philanthropic endeavors and mission of The Dawood Foundation and its affiliates as well. Both organizations will also evaluate other areas of mutual interest, such as nutrition, agriculture development, financial inclusion, women empowerment, and health of mothers and children.
As part of its ongoing efforts to support the district authorities and Daharki community amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Engro Fertilizers has converted its Technical Training College (TCC) into a 60-bed quarantine facility. All necessary standard operating procedures would be followed at the location. Further, Engro Fertilizers has also distributed 1500 ration bags among deserving families and daily wage earners in Daharki and surrounding areas. Each ration bag includes essential food items to help the families meet their daily nutritional requirements.
In addition, after establishing an isolation center to facilitate coronavirus patients and a free coronavirus testing centre in Tharparkar, Thar Foundation has completed its first phase of “COVID-19 Community Relief Program” by delivering 2730 ration packages to deserving households in 90 villages of Taulka, Islamkot.
In the coming days, the PKR 1 billion Hussain Dawood Pledge is expected to announce more initiatives and partnerships with reputable organizations to alleviate the COVID-19 crisis.