"X-Men" star James McAvoy has donated 275,000 pounds to the National Health Service (NHS) to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The Scottish actor contributed to a crowdfunding campaign set up by a group of doctors under NHS, the publicly funded healthcare system of the UK, reported The Guardian.
The funds will be spent on important Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, visors, gloves, etc for healthcare workers struggling with shortage of supplies during the ongoing health crisis.
McAvoy took to Instagram and highlighted the importance of donating to the NHS.
"Money donated today will save lives. Help us to help the government to help the NHS. The situation is truly urgent and time is of the essence," he says in one of the videos shared on Sunday.
Calling McAvoy's donation "mind-blowing", Dr Salaj Masand, one of the names behind the campaign, said the money enabled them to immediately place an order of 75,000 masks and 75,000 visors.
"We are overwhelmed and speechless at the trust and faith people have put into us to deliver this. The number of very generous donations from everyone doubled our target within three days," Masand said.
The government is doing all it can but the NHS needs all the help it can get, he said.
"We are also competing with the commercial market who are trying to sell the same PPE for extraordinary prices... That is why we raised the capital ourselves and hope to help government distribute these supplies in best possible way," Masand added.
The campaign has already raised 440,000 pounds, crossing the original target of 200,000 pounds. The goal has now been increased to 500,000 pounds
