Sunshine Foundation for Good donates 12 ICU beds worth Rs.7mn to aid battle against COVID-19
Sunshine Foundation for Good, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of the diversified conglomerate Sunshine Holdings, recently donated 12 fullyequipped Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, worth Rs.7 million, to the Health Ministry.
Sunshine will work closely with the ministry to place these new beds in the ICUS of COVID-19 reference hospitals located throughout Sri Lanka. The donation was handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by Sunshine Holdings Group Managing Director Vish Govindasamy, in the presence of Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi.
The ‘Pioneer 4’ ICU beds, developed by globally-renowned healthcare equipment producer Meissa, are equipped with electric motors for smooth functioning and all bed adjustments can be operated remotely, which can prevent crosscontamination inside the unit.
Some of its advanced features include Auto CPR, Auto contour, Cardiac chair position with one button, Shock position with one button help to improve the patient care at the time of an emergency.
Thanks to its hygienic design, hospitals can maintain the sterility inside the unit and X-ray translucent top helps to diagnose the patient without shifting. The bed is also backed with battery backup to maintain operation when not powered by the main electrical supply.
Commenting on the latest donation, Govindasamy said, “Integrating corporate sustainability to our business strategy has been one of the key objectives for Sunshine and CSR has empowered our organisation to engage in many actions and initiatives over the years. Now more than ever, we are joining forces with the public authorities to fight the COVID19 pandemic and safeguard all Sri Lankans. Supporting the ICUS is a top priority. It is our sincere hope that these beds will not be necessary at this critical time after all and that they will remain available to the national health system for the long run.”
With their latest donation of ICU beds, Sunshine Holdings as a group has contributed more than Rs.20 million in donations to assist the government, frontline healthcare workforce and military in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka.
Initiated to commemorate the group’s 50th anniversary, the Sunshine Foundation for Good centralises all CSR efforts undertaken by Sunshine Holdings through a sustainability committee and a project chair with clear objectives that will aim to drive change towards sustainability, with health and education as the foundation’s two main pillars.