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Ronaldo donating funds, equipment to 2 Portuguese hospitals

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Mendes are chipping in to help hospitals in their homeland amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Juventus and Portugal star and his super-agent are donating equipment to two wards at Lisbon's Santa Maria Hospital, including heart monitors, infusion pumps, syringes, ventilators, and 20 beds.

Ronaldo and Mendes will also provide the necessary financial assistance to outfit Santo Antonio Hospital in Porto.

"We want to thank Ronaldo and Mendes for the initiative, which is so useful at the time the country needs everyone so much," Paulo Barbosa, president of Santo Antonio's administrative council, said Tuesday, according to The Independent.

Portugal declared a nationwide state of emergency on March 18. As of Tuesday, the country has 2,362 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 33 deaths.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa confirmed Monday the government has purchased 500 ventilators and four million masks from China. Neighbouring Spain has reported nearly 40,000 positive COVID-19 tests as fears grow on the Iberian Penisula.

Ronaldo has made several significant charitable contributions throughout a celebrated career. In 2009, he pledged £100,000 to the Madeira hospital where doctors saved his mother's life following a battle with cancer. The money helped fund the construction of a cancer ward on the island.

The 35-year-old was named the world's most charitable sportsperson of 2015 by Dosomething.org after donating £5 million to assist relief efforts in Nepal following an earthquake that killed 8,000 people.

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