MAS Holdings pins hopes on medical apparel to ride COVID-19 crisis

MAS hands over 4650 units of non-woven disposable coverall PPE to Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr. Sunil de Alwis (from left) Dr. Mahen Boralessa, Mafaz Mohideen – MAS, Anoshan Wickramaratne – MAS and Dr. Sunil de Alwis

• Has begun producing a range of medical apparels to address current global PPE shortage 
• Investing heavily in research and development of face masks 

Local apparel giant, MAS Holdings, appears to be pinning its hopes on medical apparel to ride the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the firm has started producing a range of medical apparel to help the fight against the deadly virus.  

Adhering to the globally accepted health regulations and hygiene standards to help minimise the risk of spread, MAS has produced a range of medical apparels that include woven cotton reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) kits with water repellent coating, non-woven disposable PPE kits, polyethylene disposable PPE kits, reusable plastic PPE kits, surgical and reusable masks, faceguards and scrubs as well as an unmanned automated guided vehicle (AGV) that enables hospital staff to remotely monitor and engage with the COVID-19 patients. 

While fast adapting to new manufacturing regulations in specialised, highly hygienic, limited production lines to meet the local PPE demand, MAS Holdings over the past few weeks had heavily invested in the research and development of face masks, in view of the current global PPE shortage. 

Meanwhile, setting a precedent for public-private partnerships of the future, MAS Holdings is stepping up support to the national efforts in controlling the transmission of COVID-19, by leveraging its industry expertise.

 
As the protection of frontline workers becomes paramount, MAS Holdings has been addressing the growing demand for PPE across Sri Lanka and the world, equipping healthcare professionals in their crucial role in the fight against COVID-19. 

Collaborating with Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry and the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), MAS Holdings has thus far distributed close to 20,000 PPE to over 100 institutions islandwide. 

This includes the Health Ministry and hospitals including the IDH, General Hospitals of Colombo, Kandy, Kalutara, Hambantota, Trincomalee, Ragama, Welikanda, Homagama, Jaffna and Kilinochchi, among many others. 

MAS also supported Sri Lanka Navy, the 1990 SuwaSeriya ambulance service and Sri Lanka Police with the much-needed PPE.