Since the Ebola plague outbroke in West Africa this April, it has killed nearly 5000 people. In the critical moment, the Chinese government has reached out a helping hand without the slightest hesitation and offered many rounds of wide-ranging grants of providing epidemic prevention materials and dispatching medical teams to the suffering countries, etc..

Oct 19, with the high sense of social responsibility and the rich business experiences, China National Pharmaceutical Foreign Trade Corporation (“Sinopharm Foreign Trade”) won the bidding of material aid project of providing Ebola epidemic prevention materials to the Republic of Congo, Togo and Senegal, entrusted by the Ministry of Commerce, PRC. According to the Ministry of Commerce’s requirement, those supplies should reach the three recipient countries before Nov. 2.

Protective clothing, gloves, masks and goggles are main part of the materials. Due to the large amount it required, many of the goods and materials were short of stocks in the market, Sinopharm Foreign Trade had to contact the manufacturer to restart production. In addition, conducting foreign aid project was a time consuming work, all placing orders, production, packing, commodity inspection, customs clearance, shipment and transportation work must be done within less than half a month. The heavy stress put on Sinopharm Foreign Trade is self-evident. Even though, as the ones who had successfully organized the anti-SARS and Wenchuan earthquake relief materials donating work, and taking “caring for life, attending to health” as duty, the Sinopharm staff bravely shouldered up the glorious mission.

From day one, Sinopharm Foreign Trade attached great attention to this task, united as one, allocated all resources they had, to ensure the smooth execution of this projects. In aspect of product procurement, to guarantee the stable quality of products, the company strictly selected the products which met the Ministry of Commerce’s requirements from the best domestic manufacturers, signed contracts with the suppliers as soon as feasible, and kept close contact with the manufacturers for monitoring production process status during the course of preparing materials. In aspect of shipment, to ensure the duly arrival, the company chose charter flights to deliver despite the high cost, and made detailed and thorough routes and schedules in advance. In aspect of commodity inspection, to ensure a smooth pass, the company sent staff to the the plants of the suppliers who were lack of foreign aid experience, to guide. Considering the materials would be sent to 3 recipient countries at the same time, in almost same varieties and quantities for each, to avoid mistakes or false operation taken place in delivery process, manycompany staff went to the warehouse to check the goods one by one, over and over. From receiving the award of bid till the completion of execution, the staff from Sinopharm Foreigh Trade spared no pains to work together, collaboratively and tensely, for the whole 14 days and nights.

Nov. 1, with the chartered freight flights safely landed on the airports in Dakar, Brazzaville and Lome respectively, Sinopharm Foreign Trade completed the foreign aid mission ahead of schedule successfully . In the following handover ceremonies, the government of each recipient countries expressed their gratitude to Chinese Government, and spoke highly of the efficient efforts made by Chinese side. 

In the evening of Nov. 2, a special report on the donated emergency supplies for controlling and preventing Ebola epidemic from China arrived the Republic of Congo, Togo and Senegal ahead of schedule was broadcasted in CCTV News.

Yet the Ebola epidemic is still rampaging in Africa, the deepest concerns from China has never stopped. Sinopharm Foreign Trade will keep on taking part in the Government’s foreign aid work to Africa, in an efficient and responsible way and with professional and meticulous performance to interpret the central government-owned enterprises’ strong sense of social responsibility and the heartful friendship between China and Africa. [Related news report: “The 3rd Batch of Aid Materials for Preventing and Controlling Ebola Epidemic from China to Africa was Completely Handed Over”, CCTV News, November 2]