Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) is one of the State-run groups to regularly make great contributions to the community, more so during the country’s fight against Covid-19. This year, the group has donated hundreds of billions of Vietnam dong in cash and in kind through its corporate social responsibility programs to help poor people and its customers ride out the hardships induced by the pandemic.
Donations in cash and in kind for the Covid-safe drive
After the Government established a Covid-19 vaccine fund and called for the contributions from enterprises and residents in late May, VNPT donated a hefty VND400 billion to the fund to help the country quickly achieve herd immunity.
Besides, VinaPhone, the mobile carrier under VNPT, texted its subscribers calling for them to make donations to the vaccine fund. Within just five days from June 3 to 7, over VND14 billion was given to the fund by the VinaPhone subscribers.
Apart from donations to the national vaccine fund, VNPT has also come to the rescue of cities and provinces hard hit by the pandemic.
While the Covid-19 pandemic was raging in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces in May, VNPT joined hands with the provincial governments in the fight against the disease by donating VND1 billion to the Covid-19 prevention and control fund of each of the two provinces.
Specifically, in addition to its donation of VND650 million given to the Bac Ninh anti-virus fund, VNPT Bac Ninh provided free WiFi and other products and services worth VND350 million for concentrated quarantine centers and field hospitals, and donated many laptops to the provincial Department of Health to serve sample-collecting and testing.
In early June, VNPT Bac Giang sent the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Bac Giang Province VND1 billion for the battle against Covid.
Elsewhere in Hanoi, VNPT, in late May, donated VND100 million to the Hanoi Fatherland Front Committee for the Covid fight in the city, while during the same period, the VNPT branch in Hoa Binh Province contributed some VND40 million to the province’s anti-pandemic fund.
Also, the group has made donations in cash and in kind in several southern provinces such as Binh Duong, Ben Tre, Long An, Tien Giang, Dong Nai and Ca Mau.
Besides donations to the Covid fight, VNPT has also deployed various CSR programs aimed at supporting needy people. The group has donated 10 tons of rice to disadvantaged households in Tien Giang Province affected by the ongoing fourth coronavirus wave.
Further, the group has teamed up with the Women’s Union and the Military Command of Binh Duong Province to open an online zero-dong market for people at centralized quarantine facilities. Accordingly, VNPT Binh Duong poured VND20 million into the zero-dong market program and offered free SIM cards and top-up cards to frontline workers.
Technology solutions to support Covid fight
To help pandemic prevention and control agencies keep track of all activities at quarantine centers, VNPT has installed thousands of surveillance cameras at hundreds of quarantine facilities in 32 provinces and cities from Danang City to Ca Mau Province. The group closely collaborated with the provincial and municipal Departments of Information and Communications to connect the surveillance systems at quarantine centers with the national surveillance system.
Due to the unpredictable trajectory of Covid infections and the stay-at-home order under the prime minister’s Directive 16 imposed in HCMC from July 9, VNPT has accompanied the municipal government to offer high-speed internet access, install WiFi devices and print banners and decals featuring the QR code for health declarations at 12 coronavirus checkpoints at entrances to the city.
Since May 7, VNPT has installed 1,450 cameras at 87 concentrated quarantine centers in HCMC for stricter supervision. On June 21, the camera system at 15 vaccination sites was set up, while on June 29, VNPT provided the Covid testing sites set up by the HCMC Department of Health with 12 Internet wireless routers and a number of fourth-generation (4G) SIM cards with unlimited data.
Aside from developing and launching a mobile app called NCOVI to help Vietnamese people report their health conditions and get the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak, VNPT has launched a round-the-clock hotline at 18001119 to support residents in making health declarations.
By Van Ly
