EDP, a company that operates in all segments of the electricity sector, donated R$ 6 million to the social organization Comunitas for the purchase of hospital respirators. With this initiative, only EDP will be responsible for donating 25% of all respirators necessary to serve the ICU beds of public hospitals in the state of São Paulo in this first phase of reinforcement.

Artificial respirators are essential equipment for the survival and recovery of critically ill Covid-19 patients. These instruments will be sent to public hospitals appointed by the government of the State of São Paulo, in order to assist public management in the control of the coronavirus pandemic.

In total, the Comunitas campaign raised R$ 23.4 million with the help of 150 companies. The amount donated by EDP, the largest among the organizations participating in this action, allowed the entity to reach its goal of raising funds, enabling the joint purchase of 345 respirators.

“The gravity of the moment we live in requires the private sector to cooperate with government and social efforts to combat the novel coronavirus. The reinforcement of the capacity of respirators in the ICUs of São Paulo is, without a doubt, a prudent measure to face this pandemic in one of the largest metropolitan areas in South America ”, says Miguel Setas, CEO of EDP in Brazil.

The multinational's initiative in the country is added to the efforts made by the headquarters in Portugal. Last week, EDP announced the donation of 50 respirators, 200 monitors and medical equipment to Portuguese hospitals. The action was carried out jointly with China Three Gorges (CTG).

Check the list of hospitals that should receive the equipment in São Paulo:

• Mandaqui Hospital
• Vila Penteado Hospital
• Taipa General Hospital
• Osasco Regional Hospital
• Southern Regional Hospital
• Ipiranga Hospital
• Guaianazes General Hospital
• Padre Bento de Guarulhos Hospital
• 10 beds in Pedreira General Hospital
• 10 bed in Guarulhos General Hospital
• 10 beds in Hospital de Clínicas Luzia de Pinho Melo
• 10 beds in Carapicuíba General Hospital
• 6 beds in Pirajussara General Hospital
• 10 beds in Itapecerica General Hospital
• 10 beds in Francisco Morato State Hospital
• 5 beds in Franco da Rocha State Hospital
• 10 beds in Itaim Paulista General Hospital
• 10 beds in Grajaú General Hospital
• 5 beds in Sapopemba State Hospital
• State hospitals managed by Social Health Organizations - prioritization of Greater São Paulo due to the number of cases

EDP has a Crisis Management Committee for the coronavirus and designed a contingency plan, even before the confirmation of the first case in the country. Since February, the committee has been meeting remotely every day, including weekends, if necessary. Among the initiatives already carried out by the company are: anticipation of vaccination against the H1N1 flu for employees, implementation of a home office work regime in the offices, scheduling and decentralization of field teams and reinforcement with internal information campaigns.

About EDP in Brazil

With over 20 years of experience, EDP is one of the largest private companies in the electricity sector operating throughout the value chain. The Company, which has over 10,000 direct and outsourced employees, operates in Transmission, Trading and Energy Services and has six hydroeletric generation units and one thermal power station. In Distribution, it serves about 3.5 million customers in São Paulo and Espírito Santo, in addition to being the main shareholder of Celesc, in Santa Catarina. In Brazil, it is a reference in areas such as Innovation, Governance and Sustainability, having been in the B3´s Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) for 14 consecutive years.