Thousands of medical products are being donated by Swindon-based medical and surgical devices supplier Vygon (UK) to help in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.
Vygon has so far donated more than 7,000 cannulas (tubes) and 600 sterile table covers to Scottish charity Scotia Aid, which works with children living on the streets in Sierra Leone.
Staff at Vygon’s Swindon’s giant Groundwell West warehouse have loaded 152 boxes of cannulas and 15 boxes of sterile covers onto pallets for delivery to Scotia Aid’s Midlands depot.
They will then be flown by cargo planes to Ebola-stricken communities in West Africa.
Vygon was originally contacted by Scotia Aid with a plea for protective medical suits.
Business responsibility co-ordinator Alla Cimotisa said: “Vygon is not a supplier of medical clothing so we could not help with that specific request. However, we did have other products that we could make available.
“I went back to Scotia Aid to see if they were interested in these and they were. We’re now making arrangements for our two pallets to be taken to the charity’s warehouse in Birmingham.
“From there they will be flown out to Africa free by Air Brussels as part of a consignment of 60 pallets of supplies destined for Sierra Leone.”
The cannulas are devices that are inserted into the body and often used for the intravenous delivery of drugs and fluids while the sterile covers are used in clinics and treatment areas to help prevent infection and keep operating areas clean.
Alla added: “We take our business responsibility seriously and are pleased to be working with Scotia Aid who is supporting the excellent work being done by healthcare professionals in West Africa.
“As supplies of medical supplies in the UK, Vygon is pleased to be playing a small part in helping healthcare workers in Africa at this very difficult and worrying time.”
Vygon (UK) supplies single-use medical and surgical products to healthcare organisations and is a leading provider of intravenous access devices to the NHS.
It is part of the international Vygon Group, a global manufacturer of single-use medical and surgical products. The group designs, manufactures and markets more than 100m products in 110 countries.
Scotia Aid was founded four years ago by a small team of businessmen who work to improve the lives of street children in Sierra Leone.
Pictured: Vygon (UK) warehouse staff with the loaded pallets containing cannulas and table covers destined for Sierra Leone
