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Covid: Sharjah charity sends medical aid worth Dh500,000 to Kerala

Dubai - Medical equipment will be distributed to hospitals in the state.

UAE-based developer Arada is sending over 1,000 pieces of emergency medical equipment to the south Indian state of Kerala to support the local government’s efforts in combating the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The donation by the Sharjah-based developer’s humanitarian arm, Arada Foundation, was made via the Care for Kerala initiative, which has been set up by the Government of Kerala.

Items being donated include ventilators, portable ventilators, oxygen concentrators and fingertip pulse oximeters, together amounting to a total value of Dh500,000 (Rs10 million).

The medical equipment is currently being sourced from manufacturers, who will deliver it directly to the government of Kerala. They will then be distributed to hospitals in the state. Kerala have been suffering from a lack of emergency equipment due to the significant rise in case numbers in recent months.

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Arada, said: “The UAE and Kerala have a long-standing, shared history with extensive cultural, business and family ties. Sharjah in particular is home to many members of the Malayali expatriate community and a substantial number of Arada’s workforce is from Kerala. With that in mind, we believe that it is Arada’s duty to reach out and support the Keralite community during these extremely challenging times.”

Care for Kerala was set up following an appeal by the state’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, who called on expatriate Keralites living around the world to support their home state in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The initiative is supported by Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA) Roots, an agency set up to act as an interface between Keralites living outside their home state and the Government of Kerala.

The Arada Foundation has been created to serve communities in need both within the UAE and abroad, using Arada’s internal funds.