Actor James McAvoy donates £275,000 to 'urgent' appeal for NHS medics for combating coronavirus
- 30 Mar 2020
Gulf Today Report
The Scottish star of the X-Men movies, James McAvoy has donated £275,000 to a crowdfunding campaign that aims to provide vital protecting equipment for NHS staff who are treating coronavirus.
“His Dark Materials” star gave the money to support the efforts of concerned NHS medics who launched a page on Thursday appealing for money to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, visors and gloves because they feel they are “going to war without armour and protection”.
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The campaign has raised more than £440,000, surpassing the initial target of £200,000, which has now been extended to £500,000.
The doctors write in their appeal, “Unfortunately current hospital supplies are not sufficient and while we are reassured the government is doing everything it can, healthcare workers on the frontline are risking themselves daily without adequate protection to care for sick patients.”
In a video message posted to the Crowdfunder campaign, McAvoy explains the importance of protective gear and calls the situation “truly urgent”.
After extending its campaign to reach half a million pounds, the doctors have raised their new target in an equally short amount of time.
One of the medics behind the project, Dr Salaj Masand, said: “We are overwhelmed and speechless at the trust and faith people have put into us to deliver this.”
“The number of very generous donations from everyone doubled our target within three days.”
“This is a global catastrophic event and an extremely tough time for governments across world, no different from ours. There is a worldwide shortage of PPE that’slikely to go on for months.”
He pointed out that the NHS is having to compete with the commercial market, which is attempting to sell the same equipment for extortionate prices.
“The government is doing all it can but the NHS needs all the help it can get,” he concluded.