Philip Morris International’s (PMI) Greek affiliate Papastratos donated 50 ventilators to a hospital in Greece to help “flatten the curve” after the coronavirus outbreak.
Stavros Drakoularakos, PMI’s director of communications for Greece, said he was “sky-high proud” and said that it was “proof of what sheer will and collaboration between all can achieve.”
Anti-tobacco advocates, however, have been criticizing the move, stating that it was simply a publicity stunt. “If smoking does predispose people to having adverse outcomes during Covid-19, it is a funny position to be giving ventilators but selling a product that leads to worse outcomes,” said Constantine Vardavas, a research associate at the University of Crete’s school of medicine.
“We were happy to help the Greek government fulfill a critical need by sourcing this lifesaving equipment,” said Moira Gilchrist, vice president at PMI.