Following a donation of 500 tons of oxygen to hospitals in Indonesia last week, Tanoto Foundation joined Temasek Foundation and 14 other partners to donate 11,000 units of oxygen concentrators.

The first 1,500 units have been sent to Jakarta from the manufacturer in Shanghai today.  Each unit can produce about 10 litres of oxygen per minute.  The distribution of the concentrators to hospitals and health facilities are being co-ordinated by the Indonesia Ministry of Health.

Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Singapore Suryo Pratomo said, “A global pandemic like COVID-19 requires a global and collective response.  We now have a very challenging situation, particularly in Jakarta. For my colleagues and I stationed overseas, we are eager to rally all friends of Indonesia and critical resources to tackle the situation. I am happy that the Indonesian community in Singapore are taking action to help our people in Indonesia.”

This is the second time Tanoto Foundation has collaborated with Temasek Foundation. In late 2020, Tanoto Foundation partnered Temasek Foundation to jointly donate one MGI RNA extraction machine, one PCR testing machine and 10,000 test kits to Indonesia-based social enterprise GSI Lab. The donation package supported an additional 600 tests per day.Video Playe

(Credit to Garuda Cargo/Indonesian Embassy in Singapore)

“As the COVID-19 situation evolves, Temasek Foundation continues to support our friends and neighbours in the region in this fight against the pandemic.  We are glad to be able to secure oxygen concentrators for hospitals in Indonesia to provide vital oxygen support to patients. Indeed, no one is safe till everyone is safe.  We are grateful to our partners including Tanoto Foundation who have made this joint donation possible,” said Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive of Temasek Foundation International.

Last week, Tanoto Foundation, an independent philanthropy organisation established by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, donated 500 tons of oxygen produced by pulp and paper maker APRIL Group’s Indonesia operations based in Riau’s Pangkalan Kerinci.

Satrijo Tanudjojo, Global CEO, Tanoto Foundation, said, “Tanoto Foundation is working hard to help meet the most pressing needs to curb the pandemic in Indonesia. Since the pandemic started last year, our relief aid has evolved from securing masks and PPEs from overseas to donating COVID-19 testing machines and expendables, and now, oxygen. We share the global concern for this emergency.  Private sector and philanthropic organisations are important partners in supporting the Indonesia government’s response efforts, and we urge more to come forward to assist in every way possible.”

The Tanoto Foundation, represented by Director of Communications, Haviez Gautama, hands over an oxygen tank as a symbol of 500 tons of oxygen in donation to Indonesia that is received by Sumarjaya, Acting Head of Health Crisis Center of the Ministry of Health, and Lilik Kurniawan, Main Secretary of the National Board of Disaster Management.

A total of five shipments containing 100 tons of oxygen each will be sent, with the first batch arriving in Jakarta today after it departed the headquarter of our group partner, PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau, on July 9, 2021.

In his remarks at the handover of donation, Haviez Gautama said, “We are coordinating with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry, and the National Board of Disaster Management to ensure that this (the first batch of oxygen donation) can be carried out immediately, it can be distributed to those in need.

Haviez Gautama, Director of Communications Tanoto Foundation

Sumarjaya, Acting Head of Health Crisis Center of the Ministry of Health

Sumarjaya as the recipient representative from the Ministry of Health also welcomed the statement, “This will soon be distributed several tons to DKI, West Java, and DIY. We will immediately distribute all of this to optimize the services of hospitals in need.”

The donation is our support in helping the government’s efforts in containing the Covid-19 pandemic. The Tanoto Foundation sends its sincere wish that Indonesia will recover soon and asserts its commitment to help in tackling the pandemic.

To support Indonesia’s efforts in the urgent fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanoto Foundation today announced it is donating 500 tons of oxygen to hospitals. The donation is produced by pulp and paper maker APRIL Group’s Indonesia operations PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP), based in Riau’s Pangkalan Kerinci.

The surge in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has caused a shortage of oxygen in hospitals, especially for patients with serious to severe symptoms. The Ministry of Industry has coordinated with several companies across various industries that are able to produce medical oxygen. This is to ramp up the supply of oxygen for COVID-19 patients in the country.

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita expressed his appreciation of the Tanoto Foundation and its partner PT RAPP, which has designated a part of its oxygen plant facility for pulp bleaching to producing medical oxygen. Five hundred tons of oxygen will be sent from Pangkalan Kerinci to Jakarta beginning on Friday, July 9, 2021, in five shipments with each carrying 100 tons of oxygen.

Tanoto Foundation is an independent philanthropy organization established by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, and has previously partnered APRIL Group and PT RAPP on a variety of community development, human capital development and COVID-19 relief programs.

Dr. Dante Saksono Harbuwono, the Deputy Minister of Health, expressed appreciation for the donation made by the Tanoto Foundation and APRIL Group. He said: “With the rise of COVID- 19 cases, we will need more oxygen to be able for treatment and to save lives. We thank the Tanoto Foundation and APRIL Group for providing oxygen to our hospitals in Java which are treating patients with serious to severe symptoms. The pandemic calls for the collective effort of all existing stakeholders such as the government, the private sector and the people.”

Anderson Tanoto, Member of the Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees, said: “When we received information on the shortage of oxygen in hospitals for COVID-19 patients, we felt the need to quickly respond by carrying out a swift distribution of oxygen produced by PT RAPP to Java. The distribution will be supervised by the Ministry of Health, ensuring the hospitals that are in dire need will receive the necessary supply.”

Mr Tanoto added: “I would like to express my gratitute for the support of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Health, which has facilitated the transportation and distribution of the oxygen in less than 36 hours to Java. We hope that the donation can support the treatment of COVID-19 patients and save precious lives.”

Data from the Ministry of Health revealed that the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country in recent weeks has coincided with the sharp increase in demand for medical oxygen from 400 tons per day to 2,500 tons.