11 March 2020 became a distressing date for the entire planet: the World Health Organization announced coronavirus a pandemic. As for the beginning of April, Covid-19 was registered in over 180 countries of the world, including Kazakhstan.
Countermeasures for any calamity, as in the case of coronavirus, need help on the part of the society and business, and private initiatives are most valuable at such times. The Verny Capital group of companies, where a well-known philanthropist Bulat Utemuratov is a shareholder, did not stay on the sidelines: they allocated 1 million dollars to fight the pandemic.
Major shareholder of the Verny Capital group of companies, businessman and philanthropist Bulat Utemuratov:
“There is no single person in the world today who would not be affected by the threat of coronavirus infection spread and by the measures taken by Governments aiming to stop the global pandemic. This is a very uneasy time and we have to survive it together, helping and supporting. I have taken a decision to transfer 1 million dollars to the Republican Relief Fund for Kazakhstanis. I also reconfirm the commitment of the group of companies to the principles of socially responsible business under any circumstances”, emphasized Bulat Utemuratov.
Verny Capital led by Bulat Utemuratov shows its commitment through the support of a range of steps taken by the President and the Government of Kazakhstan to stabilise the economic and social situation in the country in the global pandemic conditions.
While doctors are helping Kazakhstanis to come through the illness and scientists are trying to create the Covid-2019 vaccine, the country needs tests for the dangerous infection. And here too Bulat Utemuratov decided to make his contribution to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Rapid tests for 200 million tenge from Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation
In addition to the global amount of 1 million dollars, Bulat Utemuratov allocated 200 million tenge more for measures to control Covid-19 in Nur-Sultan and Almaty. These are the two cities where the biggest number of the infected was registered. This money was used to timely buy and deliver rapid test sets to detect the presence of antibodies to the virus in a human organism.
Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Kazakhstan Aizhan Yesmagambetova:
“It is planned to make an average of 500 to 1,000 tests a day. My resolution provides for the categories of people who will be subject to rapid testing. These are emergency medical officers not admitted to a hospital with the ARVI symptoms, people who were potentially contacted, and entrants through the road and railway checkpoints, state body employees who are directly engaged in the events related to liquidation of the coronavirus infection in our country”, said Aizhan Yesmagambetova.
Rapid tests of capillary blood work in the following way: they will reveal presence of antibodies to Covid-19 coronavirus within 10 minutes. Tests produced in the PRC comply with the provisions of the European Parliament Directive, and on top of that they have passed through the compulsory validation in the Central Reference Laboratory in Almaty.
This is important – to not allow the use of low quality tests in the course of screening the population, as it has happened in some European countries. In total the Foundation bought 94,000 IgG/IgM rapid tests. These tests were certified, and after that Healthcare Departments of Nur-Sultan and Almaty organised ten mobile groups per each city to carry out rapid analyses. Tests were divided evenly between the two cities.
“The most important step to control the coronavirus spread is an early detection of the infected for the sake of their health and the health of people around. This is illustrated by the experience of countries which have already overcome the peak of the epidemic. The timely taken measures will allow to limit infection niduses, to reduce the quantity of the diseased and to minimise the number of lethal cases”, stressed Marat Aitmagambetov, Director of Bulat Utemuratov Foundation.
The businessmen is also well known for paying timely attention to urgent social issues and providing operative assistance in solving them.
In total, Bulat Utemuratov spent 6 billion tenge for public charity in 2019, not to mention personal initiatives which he prefers not speak to the press about. Utemuratov’s Foundation is the only one in Kazakhstan that opens autism centres in regions. In 2019 the charity company of the reputed philanthropist expanded its activities and built houses for multi-child families in Kyzylorda and for the affected in Arys.
Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation has been in action for the sixth year now, its mission is to help Kazakhstan to turn into the better place for the life of people today and in the future. The priority is development and sponsorship of projects in healthcare, education, culture and sports.
