• The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people around the world. Currently, Thailand has a range of 20,000 infected patients per day, which has led to a shortage of medical facilities. This includes medical personnel who are working in high-risk areas and in desperate need of personal protective equipment that can protect them from health and safety risks due to the coronavirus.
• As a result, GC and GCM have collaborated with 84 entrepreneurial partners to deliver products and equipment made from innovative and integrated quality plastics to field hospitals and a waiting center in areas with high COVID-19 infections under the “Greater Care Charity by GC and Customers” project.

August 14, 2021 – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (GC) and GC Marketing Solutions Company Limited (GCM) have teamed up with entrepreneurial partners and customers to deliver plastic innovations and products to three new field hospitals and one waiting center in Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakarn and Rayong. This combined effort aims to help COVID-19 patients as well as medical personnel and staff working in the field hospitals and medical center under the “Greater Care Charity by GC and Customers” project.

Mr. Patiparn Sukorndhaman, President of GC, said that given the severity of the most recent wave of COVID-19, GC, a leader in chemical and plastic innovations, and GCM, a major polymer sales and marketing company, are working with 84 plastic entrepreneurial partners to use their proprietary expertise to help patients and medical personnel beat the pandemic. All of the involved parties are also going further by supporting the development of plastic innovations to meet a range of applications that improve quality of life, respond to demands for environmentally friendly products and address social responsibility in Thailand.

Mr. Ekawat Witoorapakorn, Director of Aeroklas Company Limited, and Mr. Ek Na Ranong, Managing Director of A.K. Pack and Machinery Company Limited, as the representatives of plastic business partners in Samut Sakhon; Mr. Yuttana Phumritthikul, Deputy Managing Director of the Sales Department of Unique Plastic Industry Co., Ltd., as the representative of plastic business partners in Samut Prakarn; along with Mr. Somsak Borrisuttanakul, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TPBI Public Company Limited, as a representative of plastic business partners in Rayong, came together to talk about their goals as entrepreneurs across the supply chain who want to achieve plastic innovations that benefit people and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outpouring of support has led everyone to take part in supporting the operations of dedicated medical personnel who are on the frontlines taking care of patients with COVID-19.

Dr. Naresrit Kadthasima, Samut Sakhon Provincial Public Health Officer, Mr. Chavalit Songkitti, Bang Bo District Chief in Samut Prakan, and Mr. Piya Pitutecha, President of Rayong Provincial Administrative Organization, as recipients of the equipment for field hospitals in the three provinces, jointly expressed their appreciation to GC, GCM and everyone who supported the construction of the new field hospitals and waiting center. They believe this will give a boost to frontline medical personnel and that the donations of innovative plastic equipment including patient beds, PE gowns, reusable PPE gowns, infectious waste bags and bins made from quality plastic are all essential in helping everyone from COVID-19 patients, medical staff, and residents in high-risk communities remain safe in order to get through this crisis together.

The construction of three new field hospitals and one waiting center will support both green and yellow-level patients in dark red industrial areas. A total of 1,000 beds is being provided at two locations in Samut Sakhon, including 300 beds at Wat Ketumdi Sriwararam field hospital; 200 beds at a field hospital in Om Noi Subdistrict Municipality; 150 beds at Bang Bo Subdistrict Waiting Center in Samut Prakarn Province, and 350 beds at a field hospital in Rayong’s Central Stadium.

The large deliveries of innovative plastic products, at a total value of more than 7 million baht, will help alleviate the impact of the pandemic while responding to the needs of the field hospitals and waiting center. The deliveries consist of:

• 1,000 HDPE field beds (with complete bedding sets) made of HDPE plastic resins under GC's InnoPlus brand, designed and manufactured by Aeroklas Co., Ltd., a partner of GC. The beds can be easily disassembled by one person in less than five minutes and come in a large size (width: 91 cm, length: 210 cm, height: 30 cm). Weighing only 21 kg, the field bed is durable and can hold a weight of up to 200 kg. It can also prevent any leakage of fluids and is easily sterilized by both solutions and heat, making this bed reusable and recyclable.
• 10,500 sets of Greater Care by GC Water-Resistant PE Gowns made from PE resins under GC's InnoPlus brand, produced by Thai Hospital Products Co., Ltd.
• 3,600 sets of Greater Care by GC Reusable PPE Coveralls, which are level-2 PPE for use in low-risk areas. Made from PET fibers that help prevent infections and leakage, these coveralls can be cleaned and reused a total of 20 times.
• 48 Locker Units for storage made from high quality plastic (LLDPE compound) under the Revolve® brand of Matrix Polymers, and formed by a rotomolding process. The design is both beautiful and compact, with a large weight capacity (width: 80 cm, height: 60 cm, depth 40 cm). The locker unit is durable, and light, weighing only 18 kg, making this suitable for medical personnel and staff working in field hospitals.
• 1,000 electric fans
• 1,000 plastic chairs with backrests
• 1,000 bedside cabinets
• 60 Greater Care by GC infectious waste bins
• 20,000 Greater Care by GC infectious waste bags
• 190 boxes of Rice Me Snack Bars from GC and the Rayong community
• Computers, printers, pressure gauges, oxygen meters, thermometers, and other necessary equipment and devices

The ongoing pandemic has underscored the role of plastic innovations in patient care, as an essential material that acts as a protective shield for healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19.

GC, GCM, and their plastic entrepreneurial partners stand with the nation in overcoming this crisis, and will continue to coinvent and support new research, the development of innovative plastics and the production of various devices that benefit the medical community and improve quality of life in society.