The support material acquired by EDP and China Three Gorges (CTG) to help Portuguese hospitals and medical teams in the fight against the current pandemic was delivered today at the Portuguese Embassy in Beijing. The equipment - which includes 50 ventilators, 200 medical monitors as well as consumables and support materials - involves an investment of 4 million euros and is expected to arrive in Portugal during the next week.

This medical equipment, already approved by the Ministry of Health, could be decisive in the treatment of patients affected by Covid-19 - this is at a time when the number of cases in Portugal is increasing and the world stocks of these materials have proven to be insufficient to meet the needs.

The material was delivered this Sunday during a brief ceremony at the Beijing Embassy attended by the Portuguese ambassador in Beijing, José Augusto Duarte, and elements from EDP and China Three Gorges (CTG).

“We live in a time of responsibility and urgency, assumed from the very beginning by EDP. Getting the most critical equipment for this fight against the pandemic was made possible by our commitment and by the decisive support of China Three Gorges and the Portuguese Embassy in China”, declared António Mexia, EDP's CEO.

"At a time when the Covid-19 virus continues to spread and Portugal faces a major outbreak, many friends from China have decided to help our country," said the Portuguese diplomat during the meeting. "EDP and China Three Gorges were the first companies to offer help to the Portuguese official entities", he reinforced.

“If we had hesitated for five seconds against this investment, this medical equipment would never have arrived here”, explained Zhang Dingming, executive vice president of China Three Gorges (CTG) and vice president of EDP's General and Supervisory Board, with the expectation that this offer may help aid in the fight against Covid-19.

With this initiative, EDP expands on the support measures it has been launching in order to participate in the collective effort of medical teams that are fighting the pandemic. A donation of 500 thousand euros for the acquisition of essential materials is also part of the aid provided by EDP, guaranteeing the protection of patients and medical personnel in hospitals in the fight against the novel coronavirus. This list includes 500,000 surgical masks, more than 20,000 respirator masks and 10,000 protective suits - all of this equipment is due to be delivered over the first three weeks of April.

EDP also donated 200,000 medical support items to hospitals in Wuhan, when China was in the most critical period on the spread of the novel coronavirus. "China Three Gorges will never forget EDP's help at that moment and now it's time for us to return that favor," said Zhang Dingming.