'Tell Me How I Can Help the Hospital'

It was Saturday March 21 in the South of France. Alshair Fiyaz, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and the owner of the local Saint Tropez Polo Club who lives in Monaco, sent a simple message to his friend Dr Philippe Brunner: “Tell me how I can help the hospital.” The head of the medical imaging department of the Princess Grace Hospital Center (CHPG) in neighbouring Monaco, Dr Brunner is one of the primary care physicians in the fight against coronavirus, responsible for the radiology which detects the first signs of Covid-19 cases. Dr Brunner replied immediately: “We urgently need FFP2 masks.” Texts were exchanged throughout the weekend.

From Guangdong to Monaco

From then on, an effective network was set up, driven by Fiyaz who offered not only his financial means but also – as is essential in these times – action. As Dr Brunner underlines: "The problem is to make things possible.” In just two weeks, liaising between a factory in the Chinese province of Guangdong and the hospital in Monaco via Frankfurt, the two men made use of their relationships to make possible what seems today impossible: quick and effective action.

“I knew it was crucial to give all the help possible to those engaged in the fight against coronavirus,” explains Fiyaz. As highlighted in the media and observed in the field, the lack of masks has been a fundamental problem in this fight. Yet overcoming the logistical difficulties of addressing the issue requires the deployment of considerable resources. In other words: a philanthropist with an address book full of senior politicians, as well as significant experience in international trade.

Dr Brunner, for his part, brought his expertise and his local network of relationships. "He explained to us the needs of the hospital and the necessary quality of the masks,” said Fiyaz. “He coordinated the various people brought into the loop and gave us a lot of contacts to navigate Monaco’s administrative procedures. I would also like to underline the help of Monaco’s Department of Health Affairs, which was crucial for success.”

By March 23, payment had been made for 20,000 FFP2 masks, all aligned with European standards and bearing a certificate of conformity. The masks left China for Germany on April 1 by cargo plane, carried by China Southern Airlines. Transported by truck, they were then received by the Monaco Maritime Office on April 3. The major part of the delivery found its way to the CHPG, the other part benefitting the Saint-Tropez Hospital Center.

“Increased vigilance over quality”

Fiyaz has succeeded in reducing delivery times to ten days, down from much longer waits at present given the massive orders placed with Chinese factories, particularly by certain European governments. Many Chinese companies, which previously manufactured other goods, had to quickly convert their production to make protective masks. This required increased vigilance over the quality of the product, the sincerity of the factories approached, as well as their capacity to produce masks that met European standards.”

What seems simple today is the result of a long journey and many adventures.

When Alshair Fiyaz first set out on his mission, he encountered a setback:

"The first factory contacted was requisitioned by the Chinese government, and obliged to produce exclusively for an order placed by the Italian government," explains the philanthropist. “It was therefore necessary to find another solution in an extremely short time and to bring in other contacts.”

But the trickiest part was without doubt the transit. The cargo of masks, originally scheduled for March 30, was delayed by two days. It was originally planned to use a flight through Turkey. But in view of the challenges posed by certain diverted orders, it was decided to change strategy at the last moment and opt for a direct route to Germany.

Alshair Fiyaz, whose charitable ALFI Foundation has also been supporting the delivery of food to 10,000 impoverished people in Pakistan during the Islamic month of Ramadan, did not finish there. He has since supplemented the original delivery of FFP2s with an additional 30,000 masks for use by front-line workers across the south of France – including health workers, firefighters, and police officers.

Up until the last moment, the protagonists of this great adventure wanted to keep news of their project silent. Was it superstition? Most certainly not. It is only because they took as many guarantees as possible, the gravity of the ongoing crisis having been such that they wanted to wait to unpack the boxes, to check the delivery for themselves.

Fiyaz and his team have maintained frequent contact with local hospitals and frontline responders to make sure they always have the necessary equipment needed to carry out their work safely and continue to provide shipments when required.