Colombo: SriLankan Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SriLankan Airlines, takes on the cause of airlifting essential medicines gifted by Kuwaiti donors to hospitals in Sri Lanka, free of freight charges. SriLankan Cares has teamed with SriLankan Cargo to implement the long-term humanitarian project which aims to channel medical product donations from the Middle East and other regions to hospitals in Sri Lanka that are struggling to cope with the ongoing drug shortage in the country. The project is also representative of the Sri Lankan national carrier’s enduring commitment to espouse national causes in the country’s hour of need.
Consequently, SriLankan Cares has already airlifted a consignment of life-saving medicines that has been generously donated by the Kuwait Humanitarian Friendship Society. The medical supplies were flown free of freight charges on SriLankan Airlines and distributed to medical establishments across Sri Lanka.
SriLankan Cares organized the logistics of the consignment from its point of origin by obtaining necessary documents, approvals and bookings that help fast-track the process with the support of SriLankan Cargo. With more donations expected, SriLankan Cares will continue to deliver consignments of donated medicine and medical equipment from the Middle East and the rest of the world in the months ahead.
“SriLankan Airlines strongly believes in giving back to the community, and we owe it to our customers and shareholders to be a socially responsible company. We have flown an astounding 45,000 kilograms of medical supplies from multiple donor countries including Kuwait, to Sri Lanka at no cost to date. We are sincerely grateful to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kuwait for facilitating the donations and their usual cooperation with the national carrier. Our greatest reward from this project will be the enhanced quality of life it bestows on every beneficiary, patient,” stated Richard Nuttall, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines.
Time and again, SriLankan Cares has risen to the occasion to aid those in need, especially children. The healthcare sector in Sri Lanka is currently facing its most acute medicine shortage in the history of the country, putting at peril the very lives of those who depend on its services. SriLankan Cares’ compassionate move to bring vital medication to the sick and vulnerable is therefore an opportune and life-saving intervention.
