The COVID-19 epidemic peaked in Taiwan in 2021. In June 2021, CTBC Holding announced a special fund of NT$50 million for Taipei City Government, New Taipei City Government, Taipei City Hospital, New Taipei City Hospital, and other entities. The fund supported front-line health care workers by paying for medical assistance, medical equipment, personal protective equipment, and resources. In addition, in December 2021, CTBC Bank launched campaigns to support staff in its Indonesian, Philippine, Vietnamese, and Indian locations, ultimately donating a total of NT$10 million to local organizations working on the ground to purchase and distribute medical emergency supplies.
In the Philippines, we donated to the PGH Medical Foundation to fund the purchase of ambulances for the Philippine General Hospital. The hospital treats more than 600,000 patients every year, 98% of whom are from vulnerable groups, and it is currently one of the three major hospitals designated by the government to treat COVID-19. Since June 2020, more than 1,200 COVID-19 patients have received treatment at the hospital. The donation for ambulance funding provided assistance in treating patients with urgent medical needs. We also donated to the Indonesian state-run foundation Yayasan BUMN Untuk Indonesia. Erick Thohir, Indonesia's Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, issued a special thanks for this contribution to the collective fight against COVID-19. In India, meanwhile, we donated funds to local non-profit organizations to pay for emergency medical relief and epidemic prevention supplies.
The rate of COVID-19 relief loan applications received online by CTBC Bank was 99%, with 97% of those processed automatically through the intelligent application system. For the second consecutive year, CTBC Bank’s underwriting rate for the relief loan program was the highest of any financial institution. In addition to the online labor relief loan applications, CTBC Bank also accepts online applications for loan relief measures. This provides applicants with a faster turnaround time and minimized infection risk by allowing them to apply online rather than in person. As of Dec. 1, 2021, CTBC Bank had approved 18,272 applications totaling NT$22.73 billion, accounting for 15% of all such applications approved by domestic banks.
In June and July 2021, CTBC Bank allowed the public to use its ATMs to apply for the Cabinet's epidemic prevention subsidy for families with children and the Ministry of Labor's support subsidy in June and July 2021, respectively. These could be collected via any of CTBC Bank's over 6,300 ATMs, conveniently located at 7-Eleven stores and CTBC Bank branches nationwide. Of all the subsidies dispersed by CTBC Bank, 60% were applied for via ATM―the highest rate among all banks.
CTBC Bank has also provided new contactless financial services such as online reviewing, order placing, wealth management, and long-distance wealth management. In addition, customers may make appointments for financial management services via the LINE instant messaging platform or through our online banking. They can also use videoconferencing for these financial management consultations and can upload files as needed to complete transactions.
Addressing the impact of COVID-19, in 2021, we purchased epidemic group health insurance for more than 60,000 employees and their dependents in Taiwan. In July that year, we gave NT$10,000 to every non-managerial full-time employee and an additional NT$5,000 to every front-line employee to help them purchase epidemic prevention supplies. We also provided condolence payments to employees who tested positive. In addition, we provided rapid COVID-19 home test kits for employees to help them proactively stay healthy and block the chain of infection, and to encourage employees to get vaccinated and rest sufficiently afterward, we introduced paid vaccination leave of up to two days.
We assisted our staff in the Philippines and Indonesia to purchase large quantities of epidemic-prevention equipment, including masks, protective clothing, automatic disinfectant sprayers, and laptops to work from home. In May 2021, CTBC Holding headquarters started shipping 10 oxygen generators to India to improve the work environment for employees there. Furthermore, as the pandemic ravaged countries around the world, we helped arrange charter flights to bring Taiwanese nationals stationed in the Philippines and India back to Taiwan.
excellence during COVID-19
The global pandemic brought unprecedented change to the lives of people worldwide. To encourage unity and identity, we produced “Our ordinary home”, a short documentary celebrating Taiwan’s pandemic prevention efforts and united front in the face of previous isolation and tribulations. We also released “A simple thank you” to express our appreciation for the sacrifice of staff and their families during the pandemic. Racing against the clock to provide much needed relief to those hit hard by the pandemic, 2,675 CTBC Bank employees worked day and night to update our relief loan application process, ultimately enabling us to handle one-quarter of all such applications filed nationwide.
