Grupo Ecopetrol announces investment package to face COVID-19
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Grupo Ecopetrol announces investment package to face COVID-19
Jan 6, 2021
- In its first stage the plan contemplates resources of $26 billion.
- Investments will prioritize humanitarian aid and strengthening health systems in several regions of Colombia.
Ecopetrol Group announced an investment package to strengthen the health system, which includes the provision of personal protection elements, field hospitals, medical equipment, humanitarian aid and its commitment to innovation and development initiatives to address the health emergency facing the country.
Ecopetrol and its subsidiaries Cenit, Ocensa, ODL, ODC, Bicentenario, Cartagena Refinery, Hocol, Esenttia and Bioenergy designed initiatives for about $26 billion to meet the needs prioritized by national, regional and local authorities in the areas of influence of the group's operation.
The investments will be made in Magdalena Medio, Norte de Santander, Arauca, Casanare, Meta, Neiva, Putumayo and Caribe, with emphasis on Cartagena, Santa Marta and Coveñas. There will be field hospitals and personal protection elements such as nitrile gloves, mouth caps, disposable gowns, gaiters, eye protection goggles, disposable caps, masks and N95 respirators.
Medical equipment such as infrared thermometers, falcon tubes, EPS cellars, vital signs monitors, respirators and ventilators among others will also be supplied, as well as food, family and personal hygiene kits.
All these elements will be delivered in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the National Disaster Risk Management Unit. The resources will be executed in compliance with the social investment procedures of each subsidiary.
This contribution by the Ecopetrol Group joins the efforts of the different sectors of the country that seek to protect the lives of Colombians affected by COVID-19 and to strengthen the humanitarian support network for the benefit of the most vulnerable communities.
"The first thing we must have is commitment to life. It is time to join efforts to overcome the challenge imposed on us by this pandemic, to be resilient, to show that we Colombians are capable of transforming this complex reality into a daily learning experience that will help us build a better future. I invite you to join efforts and rigorously follow prevention and self-care measures” " said Felipe Bayón Pardo, president of Ecopetrol.
The subsidiaries Essentia and Bioenergy work to ensure the supply of raw materials (polypropylene, polyethylene and anhydrous alcohol), necessary for the production of elements that are required for the prevention and containment of COVID-19.
These contributions are in addition to the initiative of the Workers of the Ecopetrol Group, who have directly contributed more than $300 million to deliver, through the GE Foundation, markets and protection kits to disadvantaged families in seven municipalities of the country.
The Ecopetrol Group invites Colombians to join efforts at this juncture, generate alternatives that allow to overcome this contingency and comply with all preventive measures of self-care that allow to contain the spread of COVID-19.
