Through our social responsibility program, “Good Deeds Do Good – Feeding the World with Solidarity”, JBS has donated seven thousand oximeters to the Department of Health of São Paulo state government. The equipment, which measures oxygen saturation in the blood, will be distributed, as a matter of priority, among health units that are benchmarks in treating Covid-19 across the entire state.

The oximeters will enable doctors to increase the number of saturation readings of people receiving treatment, which has been one of the ways of monitoring the clinical evolution of Covid-19 infections. The equipment will also allow medical professionals to provide better, quicker, and more precise healthcare interventions to patients.

Fernando Meller, executive officer for People & Management at Seara and manager of the Good Deeds Are Good program stated “It gives us great satisfaction to hand over to the Government of the state of São Paulo this equipment that will result in a significant advance in fighting the disease.”.

Dr. Adauto Castelo Filho, the specialist providing advice to JBS on matters involving the new coronavirus welcomed the donation: “Possibly, the measure with the greatest impact on preventing serious complications from Covid-19 is the early detection of lower concentrations of oxygen in the blood (saturation) and immediately correcting this. This decline in saturation occurs without the patient noticing it until it is too late. Oximeters are easy-to-handle instruments that allow saturation to be measured and indicate if there is a need for early replacement of oxygen, thereby avoiding subsequent invasive respirator support.”

In addition to medical supplies, JBS and Flora have also arranged delivery of 5,000 food baskets and 5,000 hygiene and cleaning kits to the Social Fund of the state of São Paulo. The donation will be redirected to the NGO/AIDS Forum of the state of São Paulo and will benefit a significant portion of citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and who have seen their incomes dwindle.

JBS remains both proud and steadfast in its commitments to ensure the Good Deeds Are Good programme delivers long-lasting positive outcomes for our communities, particularly during the last 18 months. Our previously donated medical equipment and funded projects will be repurposed after the pandemic subsides providing a legacy that will support many generations to come.