With India suffering from the world’s worst COVID-19 outbreak, global and domestic corporate titans pitch medical equipment, build health oxygen, and establish hospitals to supplement a public health system that is collapsing under the weight of rising infections and deaths.
According to company and industry reports, Amazon, Google and Tata Sons, Relations Industries Ltd and Adani Group have established Covid hospitals, airlifted cryogenic tankers from outside the world to transport medical oxygen and contributed funds to support the battle of Covid.
Over two weeks, India has reported more than 3,00,000 new cases of COVID-19 daily and has reached more than 4 new cases daily during the weekend. In India, more than 2.42 lakh people have died as a result of the virus infection.
While Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a donation of 18 million USD last month, Amazon said 1,000 Medtronic fans would be delivered to India. Microsoft said it is working to supply India with 1,000 fans and 25,000 concentration devices for oxygen.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries tweaked the production of over 1,000 tonnes of liquid oxygen per day at the oil refineries – or over 11% of the Indian total production – to satisfy the needs of almost every one in 10 patients. It has also established 1875 hospital beds in Gujarat and Mumbai for the free treatment of Covid patients in Jamnagar.
The largest steel manufacturer in India, JSW, has stopped manufacturing steel products for hundreds of tonnes of oxygen for hit areas. It said it built large COVID care centres around its facilities so that they could be serviced through a pipeline.
While Wipro and Azim Premji Foundation have transformed one IT facility in Pune into a 430-bed Covid hospital, Infosys has setup, with Narayana Health, a 100-bedroom Covid Hospital in Bangaluru to provide the poor free treatment.
Cipla supported the administration of Maharashtra in establishing Covid Isolation Wards, Vedanta in Delhi established a field hospital, and the Adani Foundation established hospitals in Gujarat.
State Bank of India has created 1,000-bed forthcoming hospitals, 250-bed ICUs and 1,000-bed isolation facilities across the country, while Coal India Ltd has created the largest Covid Beds of 2,000, including 750 oxygen and 70 ICU beds.
COVID Help by TATA Group
The Tata Group also imported 1,000 cryogenic containers to the state hospitals to transport liquid oxygen and supplied 900 tonnes of oxygen each day.
While Adani Group has purchased 48 cryogenic tanks, the Reliance airlifted 24 ISO (International Organization for Standardizing) containers to transport medical-grade liquid oxygen from leading manufacturers in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and the UAE.
Tech Mahindra provided over 20 hospitals with medical equipment, including fan units and L & T Group is dedicated to supplying 22 oxygen generators to needy hospitals throughout India. Coal India has also committed itself to installing its subsidiaries at 2 oxygen generating plants.
The Walmart Foundation is committed to providing approximately 20 oxygen generating stations and the same amount of cryogenic containers.
Hundreds of rupees crores, as well as supplying COVID PPE kits and medicines, were also contributed to PM-Care and other funds by many companies.
