Hussain Dawood Pledge Explained

The Hussain Dawood Pledge (HD-Pledge) is one of the biggest private donations and initiatives to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.^[1] Hussain Dawood, on behalf of Engro, Dawood Hercules and his family pledged on 2 April 2020 a contribution in services, kind, and cash of Pakistani rupee (PKR) 1 billion (~6 million USD).^[2] The contribution became public a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the coronavirus relief fund to fight the pandemic and urged everyone to donate.^[3]

Purpose & Context

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in 2019 and the first proven case in Pakistan on 26th February 2020,^[4] the government initiated measures to prevent the spread. The HD-Pledge was started as an initiative to support various organisations active in the healthcare system and to support measures against the spread of COVID-19 to reduce the impact.^[2]

Targets

With the publication of the pledge, it was announced that the four key areas are:^[5]

Disease prevention, with a major focus on testing and diagnostics.
Protecting and enabling healthcare practitioners and other key workers, who are at the frontline of the fight against this pandemic.
Enabling patient care and facilities; and
Bolster livelihoods and sustenance of the most deserving in society.^[6]

Implementation

The HD-Pledge funds are disbursed primarily through The Dawood Foundation and Engro Foundation. The pledge management, a dedicated committee composed of leadership figures of Mr. Dawood's business enterprises and associated philanthropic foundations headed by Sabrina Dawood, developed the overarching strategy and is assessing applications for funds according to the criteria of sustainable impact and saving lives.^[7]

The funds are open to any credible organisation, whether public and private hospitals, NGO, private enterprises, or foundations, who can apply.

Achievements

To date (August 2021), PKR 497,870,000 or almost 49% of the fund of the HD-Pledge have been donated via cash and kind.^[8]

Some selected examples of how this amount was donated:

PKR 28 million contribution to the Patients' Aid Foundation for the procurement of 14,000 medical grade scrubs to protect medical staff against the rising incidence of COVID-19 in Karachi.^[9]
PKR 70 million contribution to the Ehsaas Amdan Program focused on smallholder farmers in the livestock sector in collaboration with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) as the implementing partner.^[10]
PKR 20 million in financial assistance to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre to expand COVID-19 testing capacity across Southern Punjab and strengthen the health sector to cope with the ongoing pandemic (April 2020).^[11]
PKR 40 million to extend the partnership with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre for expansion of COVID-19 testing capacity in Southern Punjab (June 2020).^[12]
PKR 79.5 million contribution to a collaborative project with Aga Khan University to build the capacity of frontline healthcare professionals to manage COVID-19 patients across the country.^[13]
PKR 18.7 million for the establishment of a High Dependency Unit (HDU) at the Indus Hospital, Karachi, to enhance COVID-19 patient care and facilities.^[14]
PKR 12 million committed to establish an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Nishtar Medical University & Hospital, Multan. This included the set up and operationalisation of a 20-bed dedicated HDU with medical equipment.^[15]
459,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) worth Rs100 million for front-line healthcare practitioners treating COVID-19 patients.^[16]
Support Sehat Kahani by adding 100 more doctors to the telemedicine app to facilitate a greater number of virtual consultations.^[17]
PKR 95 million to the Indus Hospital to expand the COVID-19 testing capacity across Sindh under the Sindh Screening Programme — Free of Cost.^[18]
PKR 7,9 million to promote mental health-support among frontline workers and the general population directly affected by COVID-19 pandemic together with the British Asian Trust and IRD Pakistan.^[19]

Partners

The following entities have partnered with the HD-Pledge (as of August 2021).

Partners on Disease Prevention

Partners in Enabling Healthcare practitioners

Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad
Allied Hospital, Faisalabad
DHQ Hospital, Faisalabad
Government General Hospital Ghulam Muhammad Abad, Faisalabad
British Asian Trust & IRD Pakistan
Layton Rahmatullah Benevolent Trust
Afzaal Memorial Thalassemia Foundation
National Disaster Management Authority
Pakistan Air Force
Liaquat National Hospital
Dow University, Ojha Campus
Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan
Fatima Jinnah General Hospital, Quetta

Partners in Enabling Patient Care

Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, Gujrat
Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan
Nishtar Hospital, Multan
Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar
Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi
Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Accident Emergency & Trauma Centre, Karachi
Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi
Sindh Govt Coronavirus Emergency Fund
Sehat Kahani

Partner in Bolstering livelihoods & sustenance

Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, Ehsaas Amdan Program

References

Web site: Press Release: Hussain Dawood, Engro/Dawood Hercules Group and his Family pledge PKR 1bn to combat COVID-19 . DawoodHercules.com . Dawood Hercules . 13 August 2021.
News: Donors step up for coronavirus fight . 13 August 2021 . Express Tribune . 2 April 2020.
News: Hussain Dawood pledges Rs1bn to bolster fight against corona pandemic . 13 August 2021 . Pakistan Today . 2 April 2020.
News: Khan . Bhatti . Khawar . M. Waqar . Pakistan reports first coronavirus case in Karachi, raising infected toll to two . 13 August 2021 . The News International . 27 February 2020.
News: Pakistani business magnate pledges Rs1bn as COVID-19 aid . 13 August 2021 . The News International . 2 April 2020.
News: Shaikh . Najib . Hussain Dawood Pledges Rs 1bn in Aid Towards Fight Against Coronavirus . 13 August 2021 . Business Recorder . 2 April 2020.
News: Ahmed . Ashfaq . COVID-19: Dubai-based Pakistani business tycoon Hussain Dawood pledges Dh22 million to combat coronavirus . 13 August 2021 . Gulf News . 8 April 2020.
Web site: The Pledge . Hussain Dawood Pledge . 13 August 2021.
News: Engro donates 14,000 medical-grade scrubs to Patients' Aid Foundation . 26 February 2022 . . 1 February 2022.
News: Shabir . Swaira . PPAF To Launch Rs. 70 Million Livelihood Initiative Under Ehsaas Program . 13 August 2021 . Technology Times . 5 March 2021.
News: Engro pledges Rs20m to expand Covid testing at Shaukat Khanum Hospital . 13 August 2021 . Dawn . 30 April 2020.
News: Engro commits PKR 40 million to extend partnership with SKMCH & Research Centre to enhance COVID-19 . 13 August 2021 . The News International . 5 June 2020.
Web site: Building capacity of COVID-19 frontline healthcare professionals . The Aga Khan University . Press Release . 13 August 2021.
Web site: The Dawood Foundation and Allied Bank Partner to establish High Dependency Unit at the Indus Hospital for Covid-19 Patients . Indus Hospital & Health Network . Press Release (11 August 2020) . 13 August 2021.
News: Tahir . Mohammad Bilal . Dawood Foundation, Allied Bank partner to establish High Dependency Unit at Indus Hospital for COVID-19 patients . 13 August 2021 . Business Recorder . 11 Aug 2020.
News: Engro Foundation to donate 459,000 PPE units for medical practitioners . 13 August 2021 . Dawn . 3 June 2020.
News: Waqas . Maliha . Engro & Sehat Kahani collaborate to promote quality healthcare . 13 August 2021 . The Nation . 24 May 2020.
News: Engro partners with Indus Hospital to boost Covid testing capacity . 13 August 2021 . Dawn . 21 April 2020.
News: Dawood Foundation and British Asian Trust join hands to promote mental health amid Covid-19 pandemic . 13 August 2021 . Daily Times . 17 June 2020.