PRESS RELEASE:MTN Uganda has contributed Ushs50million to Red Cross Ebola effort

Aug 08, 2012

MTN Uganda has contributed Ushs50million towards efforts to handle the Ebola outbreak in Uganda. The Ushs50million contribution will go towards purchasing items for the Uganda Red Cross Society.

PRESS RELEASE

MTN Uganda has contributed Ushs50million towards efforts to handle the Ebola outbreak in Uganda. The Ushs50million contribution will go towards purchasing items for the Uganda Red Cross Society.

 Handing over the contribution to the Uganda Red Cross Society this morning at MTN Towers, MTN Chief Executive Officer Mazen Mroue saluted health workers in Uganda for being heroes in the fight against Ebola.

“We salute all the health workers in Uganda who are bravely risking their own lives in order to save the lives of others – from Dr. Matthew Lokwiya to Nurse Claire Muhumuza who was recently reported to have passed away after handling an Ebola patient in Kagadi. Our contribution is a humble addition to the brave work of all the health workers of Uganda,” Mroue said.

Part of the Ushs50million contributed by MTN Uganda will go towards procuring and distributing over 200 Protective Gear Kits for volunteers and staff involved in the Ebola operation. The rest of the contribution will be used to support the Ministry of Health with essential medical and sundry supplies for health workers.

Mroue said MTN was responding to a call for involvement from the Uganda Red Cross, because of the impact of Ebola.

“Ebola is a killer disease in more than one respect: it kills people if not controlled, but it can also kill the economy of Uganda by scaring away tourism and investment opportunities,” Mroue said.

Uganda Red Cross Society Secretary General Michael Richard Nataka commended MTN for intervening in efforts to avert the Ebola crisis, and called on more corporate bodies to respond to national disasters when they occur.

 “The assistance MTN is providing today complements the efforts of the government in handling this Ebola issue. We all understand the resource constraints the country faces, and we appreciate when private companies get involved,” Nataka said.

 The Ebola outbreak has so far claimed the lives of sixteen  (16) people, including some health workers. The government has issued public health warnings in order to help control the spread of the disease.

 

 

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