Mervue Laboratories partner with Jameson Distillery to answer Irelands Call to provide the HSE with large scale quantities of Alcohol Hand sanitizing Gel.
Our Director William Twomey of Mervue Laboratories in Watergrasshill called into his local pharmacy last week and got talking to Cork Pharmacist, Ciaran O’Sullivan about the COVID-19 crisis. Ciaran told William of the worldwide shortage of Sanitising Hand Gel. Ciaran was very concerned that lives would be lost as there is a global shortage of Hand Gel. Pharmacies and stores weren’t able to get any but more importantly, stocks are dwindling fast for front line staff. Countries were shutting down their borders and keeping the stocks and raw materials need to make it for themselves.
William decided to divert our team and normal manufacturing business in Mervue Laboratories to use our production facilities and resources to tackle the worldwide shortage of Hand Sanitising Gel. We commenced production of hand gel this week.
William said “Mervue Laboratories are using the production facilities of our Watergrasshill factory to produce hand sanitising gels from this week onwards. We have diverted staff from normal business which we have put on hold in the national interest in order to meet the unprecedented demand and the requirements of the HSE and the amazing front line staff. ”
Ciaran O’Sullivan said “Hand sanitizer is in short supply around the world because of the pandemic and it is fantastic that two Cork-based companies have come together to help our very strained health system. Hand sanitiser is essential for our health services as provided it is made of 60% alcohol it can be effective in killing off the virus. It is essential it is available in large quantities for frontline staff in order to protect them and help save lives.”
One of the key ingredients of hand sanitizing Gel is alcohol. We at Mervue Laboratories have partnered with Irish Distillers (manufacturers of Jameson and Powers Whiskey) based in Middleton. The team in Irish Distillers in Middleton came on board and offered to provide large-scale quantities of alcohol free of charge in order to get supplies to the HSE asap and to support the government in the fight against coronavirus.
It was the perfect match of a local Irish company and multinational based in Cork working together in the time of unprecedented circumstances.
In combination with the procurement team in the HSE and the Department of Agriculture, we in Mervue Laboratories and Irish Distillers have worked tirelessly over the last week to make things happen.
This has been a real team effort of people who care for their country and want to do what we can at a time of national crisis. Showing what is really possible when people with a passion come together to solve a problem and do the right thing. We hope our contribution will help the amazing teams in front line services in our health services. We have such respect for the amazing frontline and support staff in the HSE who are working tirelessly to reduce the impact of COVID-19 and who have reached out to us in industry and made this initiative possible.
We in Mervue are proud to be on call for Ireland.
Listen to Morning Live Piece on RTE Radio 1 from 1:52:00:
https://www.rte.ie/radio/utils/share/radio1/11168142
Read further on:
The Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/coronavirus-irish-distillers-to-provide-large-scale-quantities-of-alcohol-gel-1.4206218
RTE.ie: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/0319/1124084-irish-distillers-gel/
Joe.ie: https://www.joe.ie/news/irish-distillers-hand-sanitiser-hse-694994
