Alibaba launches platform to better source medical material

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd launched a global direct sourcing platform on Wednesday to better match supply and demand for medical supplies amid the novel coranavirus outbreak.

Through this platform, the supply information of medical materials uploaded by global small and medium-sized enterprises will be effectively matched with demand information released by the platform, the company said.

All information about the material from home and abroad will be transparent. The masks, protective suits, goggles and gloves directly procured by Alibaba will be sent to the frontline of epidemic prevention and control, especially hospitals in Wuhan and other places.

Alibaba announced it set up a special fund of 1 billion yuan ($142.9 million) for medical supplies last week. The fund will be used to purchase medical equipment and medicine from home and abroad and delivered to Hubei province, where the outbreak is most severe.

As of 4 pm on Monday, the tech heavyweight has sent medical supplies from 15 countries, including South Korea, Spain and Russia, to 18 hospitals in Hubei, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces directly.