MUSKOKA, ON-The Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare has received a massive donation of medical masks from three organizations.
Coming from the China Bethune Spirit Research Association, China Bethune Charity Foundation and China Bethune Medical School’s Beijing Alumni Association, this donation of 50,000 masks was provided to the Town of Gravenhurst through the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto.
Coordinated by the Director of Confucius Institute in Waterloo, Professor Yan Li, this donation follows When Mayor Paul Kelly met with the members of the various organization at the Bethune House last Thanksgiving.
The organizations said in a letter to the Town, “The People from China and Canada are closely tied together because of Dr. Norman Bethune. We sincerely wish that the Canadian people and the people in the hometown of Dr. Norman Bethune will soon come out from the shadow of the pandemic and resume your beautiful life.”
“We are very thankful for the donation of masks to our area and are certain that they will work toward making our frontline workers safer. We are proud of our connection to Dr. Bethune and reminded of the connection that his legacy provides between Gravenhurst and China,” said Mayor Kelly.
MAHC said the surgical masks they received are among the most used PPE in the hospitals.
With the ongoing pandemic, hospitals have been using more than 1,000 masks each day, and as hospital services being to ramp up to pre-COVID levels, mask usage is expected to increase even more, reaching 1,500 masks per day.
MAHC CEO Natalie Bubela said during this pandemic, global competition for supplies, most of which are manufactured in China, forced hospitals to try to find non-traditional ways of procuring these supplies.