GE Steam Power Solutions: Rising to the challenge of building a world that works giving back to the communities that we work and live in

In June and July 2020, South Africa witnessed an upsurge in COVID-19 cases. As a result, supply chains battled to meet the growing demand for essentials such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), healthcare systems were strained and infections and fatalities among health workers began to rise. This prompted the GE Steam Power Solutions team in South Africa, with the support of Eskom, to act. The initial approach was to provide PPE and other relevant equipment to hospitals, after noting that healthcare workers were unable to carry out their duties in the most effective way due to limited protective gear. The team also partnered with the University of Witwatersrand to manufacture face shields, which has a multipronged impact – it supports the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills while also contributing towards immediate COVID-19 relief efforts. Prior to the outbreak of the virus, however, the team was already supporting various communities across the country primarily through the school’s infrastructure upgrade projects and employee volunteerism programmes, providing sanitation facilities and newly built classrooms in underserved schools.

“These donations will go a long way in saving lives. Words cannot express how grateful we are as the department. The healthcare workers need the PPE to perform their duties, so this is very important to us.”

Dr Cheryl Nelson, Director of Primary Healthcare and acting lead for Covid-19 preparedness in the Nkangala Region