To help hospitals and health institutions struggling to provide oxygen to patients affected by covid-19, Amazon India has joined hands with ACT Grants, Temasek Foundation, Pune Platform for Covid-19 Response (PPCR) along with other partners to urgently airlift over 8,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machines from Singapore.
All the organizations are working closely with the Indian government to expedite the entry of these oxygen concentrators and BiPAP machines into the country. This medical equipment will be donated to hospitals and public institutions to augment their capacity to help covid-19 infected patients across multiple cities, the company said.
Amazon will bear the cost of airlifting these oxygen concentrators and BiPAP machines, procured through multiple funders, including ACT Grants and PPCR, from Singapore to India, through Air India, and other international carriers.
Additionally, Amazon will also manage the movement of these oxygen concentrators and other donations from the local airport to identified hospitals and institutions. The first of these consignments were to land in Mumbai on 25 April 2021 and the majority of shipping is expected to be completed by 30 April.
“Covid-19 has severely impacted India in unimaginable ways. We stand firmly with the country, deploying our global logistics network to urgently airlift the needed oxygen concentrators to support the nation’s immediate need. We continue to explore other meaningful ways to help in saving lives and are committed to supporting the nation in this time of crisis,” said Amit Agarwal, global senior vice president, and country head, Amazon India.