Insurers donate PPEs, others to drive fight against COVID-19 pandemic

Insurance firms have donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth N15 millions to the Lagos State and others in a move to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The underwriters’ intervention is considered the largest single donation by a corporate organisation in the country to address the spread of coronavirus since a foreigner tested positive last month in Lagos.

Precisely, SUNU Assurance Limited over the weekend demonstrated its commitment with the donation of splash resistant protective wears, masks, goggles among others. In addition to this, the company stated that it would provide food packs and also part of N100 million worth of life insurance cover for 100 medical professionals in the industry across Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan respectively.

The Managing Director, SUNU Assurance Limited, Samuel Ogbodu, told The Guardian that the firm has commended the deliberate efforts made by the Doctors and other healthcare workers in Nigeria and around the world to combat the outbreak and curtail its spread.

“We share the view that the world needs to come together to provide a stronger support for these men and women who have chosen to risk their lives to serve their countries”.

“Through the donation and commitment were meaningfully responded to the rising need for medical supplies at healthcare facilities in Lagos, as a major hub designated to fight the disease, ensuring swift responses are given to COVID-19 or any other health related cases” Ogbodu added.

The Chairman, Sunu Assurance Plc, while donating the equipments to the Lagos State Government at its Medical Warehouse in Lekki Lagos, said they decided to provide them to protect the front line workers who are taking care of the people that test positive to the virus.

He stated that Coronavirus is a novel virus that has no cure and the only way to cure it is through prevention.

He said: “All over the world, we hear doctors and health care workers being infected by the virus. We need our doctors to be hale and hearty in order to deliver care to the people.

“We have personal protective equipment’s worth about N15 million that we are giving out to protect the front line workers”.

This is the groups contribution to the pandemic all across Africa. Sunu is in 14 African countries primarily west African countries both the French speaking and the English speaking west African countries.

In each and every country there have been similar donations being made of PPE for the front line workers that are tackling this pandemic.

Also, the Executive Director Marketing and Brand Operations, NICON Insurance, who also donated PPEs in Abuja, Debo Oladejo, told The Guardian at the weekend in a phone interview, that “one cannot but commend the efforts of the National Emergency Operations Centre led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as well as various state governments who have continued to coordinate response activities and strengthen preparedness capacity across the country.

“We remain irrevocably committed towards efforts to eradicate this pandemic as quickly as possible.”

Responding to the development, Professor of Surgery and Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and Consultant Urologist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oluwabunmi Olapade-Olaopa stated.

“The intervention by the insurance operators in the industry are very timely and addresses the core of what is needed at this time to keep the fight going and enable care for the sick and research on the disease.

“We are extremely grateful for the insurer for its impactful support and its commitment towards better healthcare in Nigeria”.