China Telecom donated five million yuan (US$604,595) in cash to reward the medical workers as well as for the prevention and treatment of SARS.

Meanwhile, China Telecom donated phone cards worth of five million yuan to the front-line medical workers and isolated SARS patients for contacts with their families and friends.

China Unicom donated facilities composing a broad-band video meeting system and visual telephones valued at five million yuan. In addition, it also offered free optical cables and access equipment for the opening of the above systems.

China Mobile donated three million yuan (US$362,757) incash as a special fund for related research on the disease. China Mobile will also provide accurate and timely short message services about SARS to its users and donate all the earning of this operation to subsidize the medical workers.

All these cash and equipment will be used in the front-line fight against SARS as soon as possible, said health ministry officials.

Since the outbreak of the disease, the Ministry of Health has received over 20 million yuan (US$2.4 million) of cash donation as well as materials worth 50 million yuan (US$6 million), including drugs, medical facilities and vehicles.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2003)