GRI donates ICU beds to fight pandemic in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Specialty tire maker Global Rubber Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. (GRI) recently donated two high-function ICU beds to government hospitals to fight the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

The beds went to hospitals in Gampaha and Kosgama, Sri Lanka, at the request of the country's Ministry of Health. Though they are prominent hospitals in the country, they previously had not received such medical equipment, GRI said.

"Responsible (corporations) need to step up and give back to the country," GRI Managing Director Prabhash Subasinghe said. "That is also a reason we do business, to give back to society."

GRI also distributed food rations to more than 350 families in Colombo on two recent occasions.

When the pandemic began in 2020, GRI said it stepped up its corporate social responsibility initiatives through the GRI Care program where it supported communities within and outside its area.

"It is important not only for me as an individual but to all our employees to be a part of an organizational culture where caring is a part of our DNA," Mr. Subasinghe said.

"You need to do the right thing at the right time. For GRI, it is not only about business, we look at humanity first."