City charities disclose use of donations

Shanghai's charity organizations and the Red Cross have received 1.263 billion yuan (US$182 million) in donations to fight the coronavirus outbreak with 853 million yuan spent as of noon on Wednesday, the city's civil affairs authorities said.

Donations are strictly managed and the amount of donations and expenditure is made public daily via the bureau's WeChat account to ensure openness and transparency, said Jiang Rui, deputy director of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

The use of the donations is based on demand from front-line medical workers, checkpoint workers and community workers, and six programs had been worked out and covered by donations after their demands were heard, Jiang told a press conference on Wednesday.

"The aim is quick allocation and efficient use of donations and to make them flow to the most needy areas in the epidemic prevention and control battle," Jiang said.

These include a program supplying prevention items such as protective clothing, masks and forehead thermometers to neighborhood and village committee officials and community volunteers, and a caring program covering night-shift security guards and property management workers, she said.

Under the program, night-shift security guards and property management workers in some city districts receive a bag with milk, instant noodles and biscuits.

Prevention items at community-based medical treatment institutions and senior meal services are also on the program list, said Jiang.

An exclusive fund awarding outstanding medical workers at front line has been established and it has reached nearly 47 million yuan, the bureau said.

After the epidemic, remaining funds will be used on charity programs supporting and motivating medical workers, Jiang said.

The Shanghai Charity Foundation said it had conducted an assistance program covering medical treatment institutions in Hubei Province, supplying 1,320 ventilators and 1,620 ECG monitors to more than 200 hospitals. It has also delivered items such as masks, protective clothing and goggles, test kits, disinfectant, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kits and disinfection robots to local medical treatment institutions.

Preventative items are also supplied by the foundation to Shanghai's medical treatment institutions at front line of the battle, and the city's front-line public transport workers.