After Jack Ma the founder of Alibaba and the Jack Ma Foundation, along with the Alibaba Foundation showed generosity during the COVID-19 outbreak by donating 2 million masks, 150,000 testing kits, and 20,000 protective suits to four Southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

      In Thailand, on March 20, 2020, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, the Minister of Public Health, announced that Thailand would receive 500,000 disposable masks, 50,000 N95 masks, and 20,000 protective suits from the Jack Ma Foundation, expressing gratitude for the generosity of the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation.

On March 25, 2020, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Thailand revealed that the Chinese charity foundation was assisting Thailand in combating the pandemic. Under the coordination of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation donated medical supplies to Thailand, including masks and protective suits. The medical supplies arrived in Bangkok on that day.

More than five days have passed since the donation from Jack Ma arrived in Thailand, leading many in the medical field and the public to question: Where are the donated masks now? Why haven't they been distributed to the hospitals that need them?

 

Today (March 30, 2020), Mr. Satit Pitutecha, the Deputy Minister of Public Health, addressed this issue on his Facebook page, stating:

Q: There is a question from a user named Drama Addict asking where the donations from Jack Ma are and why they haven't been distributed to the hospitals that need them.

A: Today, the Deputy Prime Minister delivered supplies to Ramathibodi Hospital, and tomorrow they will be transported to Siriraj Hospital, Chulalongkorn Hospital, and hospitals in the three southern border provinces, as these hospitals have a high number of patients. The three southern border provinces have a significant number of COVID-19 cases, and the supplies will be distributed to various hospitals as needed.

The delay of a day or two was necessary for the Department of Medical Sciences to verify the quality of all items to ensure they meet the safety standards for healthcare workers. We cannot risk the safety of our medical personnel by distributing items without proper quality checks. If the items do not meet standards and mistakes occur, it would be a serious issue that the Ministry of Public Health cannot accept.

 

 

        Meanwhile, Dr. Sukhum Kanchanapimai, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, announced at the COVID-19 Situation Administration Center that the masks donated from China include surgical masks, testing kits, N95 masks, and PPE suits, which have been allocated to health districts and the Department of Medical Sciences based on appropriate needs.

 

      The masks and medical equipment donated by Alibaba are currently being prepared for delivery to the northern region, where they are urgently needed. The protective suits will be distributed to medical schools, such as Siriraj Hospital (10,000 suits), Ramathibodi Hospital (10,000 suits), and Chulalongkorn Hospital (10,000 suits), as well as hospitals in the three southern border provinces, which will receive 20,000 suits along with masks that effectively protect against the virus. It is expected that all masks and equipment will be distributed to various hospitals within this week through Thailand Post.

 

Previously, the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation announced their donations.

On March 16, Ma announced on his newly opened Twitter account that he donated 500,000 virus testing kits and 1 million masks to the United States after sending essential medical supplies to Japan, South Korea, Italy, Iran, and Spain.

On March 21, Ma's Alibaba Foundation stated that it would send medical supplies, including 1.8 million masks, 210,000 virus testing kits, and 36,000 protective suits, along with unspecified numbers of ventilators and thermometers to 10 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

On March 22, Ma's foundation announced the donation of 2 million masks, 400,000 virus testing kits, and 24 ventilators to Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Peru.