In view of the worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and the consequent shortage of supplies for ICU patient care, a group of companies joined together to donate 3.4 million medicines for intubation to the Ministry of Health. This amount is sufficient to manage 500 beds for a period of one and a half months. This emergency solidarity action has the engagement and support of Engie, Itaú Unibanco, Klabin, Petrobras and Raízen, in addition to Vale, which initiated this action two weeks ago.

This pool of companies, led by their presidents, has already mobilized the process to import sedatives, muscle neuroblocks and opioid analgesics from China – basic supplies for intubation. The first batch is expected to arrive next week, starting on April 15. The items are certified by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa), in addition to the Chinese agency, and will be fully donated to the federal government, which will also take care of distributing them to the states through the Single Health System (SUS).

“Petrobras remains committed to helping Brazilian society to defend against the devastating effects of the pandemic. We believe it is essential to join efforts to save lives, we cannot remain inert in the face of the suffering imposed by COVID-19“, says Roberto Castello Branco, Petrobras' CEO.

“We continue to carefully monitor the worsening pandemic in Brazil and understand that there is an urgent need for a new mobilization of companies now to support the federal government in providing ICU supplies. It is important to highlight that this action only has this strength because it has the support of companies from different sectors. The moment calls for unity and we hope to contribute to the health system throughout Brazil,” says Eduardo Bartolomeo, Vale's CEO.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, ENGIE has made an effort to support the needs of the communities around our plants and gas pipelines, in addition to contributing to hospitals and laboratories, such as Fiocruz, and making donations of resources from our employees, so that more people can be fed, tested, treated and vaccinated. This new action, led by Vale, allows us to expand our contribution,” comments the CEO of ENGIE Brasil, Mauricio Bähr.

"Through All for Health (Todos pela Saúde), we have been supporting the public health system and society in tackling COVID-19 since the beginning of the health crisis in Brazil. The moment is still very critical, and initiatives like this to guarantee the service to those who need it most are fundamental in saving lives. More than an act of solidarity, we see the mobilization of the private sector as an important commitment of companies to the country,” says Milton Maluhy Filho, Itaú Unibanco's CEO.

“Klabin's initiatives to support the fight against the pandemic are aimed at the areas of health, social assistance and income generation for people in vulnerable situations. Our company is a good corporate citizen, we believe that every attitude counts and that the help of the private sector is essential to assist in this very challenging moment. We will continue to direct our efforts in favour of Brazilian society with this solidarity action to support the public health network," highlights Cristiano Teixeira, Klabin's director-general.

“We have been mobilized since the beginning of the pandemic in a true solidarity network – from the production and massive donation of the very essential 70% alcohol, to partnerships with [what is “it”? The network?], which contribute energy and skills to serve society and the country. After all, each life saved is a collective victory," emphasizes Ricardo Mussa, Raízen's CEO.