With healthcare and essential workers facing a growing threat of COVID-19 infection in southeast Kazakhstan, principals at Hong Kong-based global investment group Meridian Capital Limited have supported a humanitarian request for critical supplies and contributed hundreds of thousands of masks, gowns, gloves and other personal protective equipment. The personal protective equipment was flown to Almaty, the nation’s business capital, where it was transferred to government officials for distribution to medical organizations.

A group of entrepreneurs, including the two founding principals of Meridian Capital Limited, Yevgeniy Feld and Askar Alshinbayev, coordinated the purchase and delivery of 12 tons of personal protective equipment. “In times of need, it is incredible to see people working together to overcome logistical challenges. We began mobilizing immediately after we heard of the critical need that Almaty was facing to support its healthcare workers,” said Alshinbayev.

The personal protective equipment will be distributed among medical and other organizations on the frontline with 80% going to the city of Almaty and the remaining 20% distributed across the region. Given the shortage of personal protective equipment, the group worked with suppliers to provide quality protective equipment including 200,000 N95 masks and 200,000 KN90 masks. The full donation to date included 900,000 PPE items including 400,000 protective masks, over 15,000 protective suits, 550,000 gloves, over 7,000 protective goggles and 4,000 thermometers.

“To quickly secure the highest quality protective equipment, we collaborated with Yesengali Baymenov, Nurzhan Bekshenov, Raimbek Batalov, Oraz Jandosov and suppliers at Tencent. Together we were able to source and deliver the necessary equipment to Almaty,” said Alshinbayev. “We are grateful for the valuable support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in China, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Kazakhstan and others.”

“It was a group effort and we express our deep gratitude to everyone involved in coordinating this initiative and helping to ensure that the city of Almaty has access to quality protective equipment and supplies for frontline workers during this crisis,” said Yevgeniy Feld. “We hope that this humanitarian aid helps provide the necessary support for frontline health care providers, first responders, and local communities as they work to stop the spread of COVID-19.”