Cartu Fund to Buy 4 million Locally Produced Face Masks for Healthcare Sector
With the support of the government, the Georgian company 'Respirator' has started producing medical face masks.
In order to supply the country's healthcare system, the first 4 million locally produced medical masks will be purchased by the Cartu Foundation and will be handed over to the State completely free of charge.
The Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia got acquainted with the process of launching the production together with the Minister of Health Ekaterine Tikaradze and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Cartu Foundation Nikoloz Chkhetiani.
The head of the government thanked Bidzina Ivanishvili and the Cartu Foundation for their support and noted that the face masks will be given to the medical staff, who are working on the front line of the fight against COVID-19 today.
"As you know, COVID-19 is a global challenge that has brought a lot of new problems to us. We all, unfortunately, have to get used to wearing masks and gloves on a daily basis for a certain period of time. It is also a result of this challenge that today masks are a global deficit. The Georgian company has managed to purchase a device that allows us to produce disposable medical masks that we and our doctors need so much today. The company will be able to produce about 250,000 disposable masks per day. Importantly, the Cartu Group has made a commitment to donate the first 4 million masks produced in this company to the State. Of course, first and foremost, these masks will be given to our medical sector. I would like to thank Cartu, which as always, stands by the State and helps us when we need it most. I would also like to thank Bidzina Ivanishvili for transferring 100 million to the StopCov Fund, which will also be used in the fight against COVID-19,” Giorgi Gakharia said.
Every 24 hours, Georgian company Respirator will be able to produce between 200,000 and 250,000 three-ply medical face masks of the highest quality that meet international standards. As the director of the company noted, even though there is a global shortage of the raw material required for the production of face masks of this type, the company was able to import the relevant material to Georgia with the support of the Government of Georgia and the diplomatic corps.
"This will significantly improve the situation in Georgia, which was caused by the general shortage of face masks across the world. The enormous contribution of Cartu Fund must be acknowledged. Cartu is taking another unprecedented step by donating 4 million face masks to the state free of charge, which will significantly reduce the burden we have today due to the fight against COVID-19," Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs Ekaterine Tikaradze stated.
Cartu Fund Supervisory Board Chairman Nikoloz Chkhetiani noted that the production of medical face masks in Georgia became possible as a result of the cooperation between the state and the private sector, particularly stressing the contribution of the ministries of healthcare, justice, and foreign affairs.
"Today, as the whole country is fighting against a new, invisible enemy - the global COVID-19 pandemic - we have the opportunity to make our own contribution to this fight. Cartu Fund decided to purchase 4 million medical face masks produced in Georgia and to donate them to the state. Respirator LLC is the first enterprise in Georgia that managed to set up this production line in the shortest amount of time and to bring it into operation. As you know, several days ago Cartu Fund donated 100 million GEL to the fund set up to fight against COVID-19 and in addition to this, it is providing the state with further assistance. We will purchase the aforementioned face masks from this enterprise and we will donate them to the state, which will use them in healthcare, as well as other vitally important facilities. We hope that this will eliminate the shortage, which is a global problem and which, naturally, appeared in Georgia as well with regard to medical protection equipment," Nikoloz Chkhetiani stated.
The three-ply medical face masks of the highest quality are certified by the National Center for Disease Control and are fully compliant with international standards.
Respirator LLC was founded by a team that has been developing since 2017 with the support of the state program Produce in Georgia, and which has a new direction - digital printing with UV technology, which allows it to produce high-quality face masks today.
By Ana Dumbadze