E-Paper
MCCIA body distributes Covid equipment worth ₹100 crore under “Mission Vayu”
Pune: The Pune Platform for Covid-19 Response (PPCR) managed by Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) has implemented two phases of “Mission Vayu” by donating 7,800 oxygen concentrators, 875 BiPaP ventilators, and 50,000 pulse oximeters across India
Pune: The Pune Platform for Covid-19 Response (PPCR) managed by Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) has implemented two phases of “Mission Vayu” by donating 7,800 oxygen concentrators, 875 BiPaP ventilators, and 50,000 pulse oximeters across India.
“Mission Vayu” is one of the civic-led initiatives to support the healthcare infrastructure and tackle the pertaining oxygen shortage across India. It is anchored by various corporate partners and foundations, including Singapore-headquartered investment firm Temasek and Temasek Foundation.
The three-phased project with an estimated investment of ₹100 crore has been planned, implemented and executed in less than 10 days since its launch. The costs are jointly shared by Temasek, Temasek Foundation, ACT Grants, the Swasth Alliance and 1,000+ donors and members of PPCR. Air India, Singapore Airlines, Olam International, Amazon India and Kerry Logistics have supported the logistics of airlifting these essential equipment from Singapore to India for “Mission Vayu” phase 1, 2 and 3.
In the first phase, 550 BiPaP ventilators and 7,500 oxygen concentrators were airlifted from Singapore and donated to the worst-affected districts of Maharashtra, Delhi and other affected areas.
The second phase was launched to ensure medical supplies for patients in remote places. 325 units of heavy duty BiPaP ventilators, 51,000 oximeters, over 20 ventilators were distributed to hospitals, trusts and support groups in states largely affected by the Covid crisis, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka.
With rising critical cases and subsequent shortage of life-support equipment, PPCR has now launched phase 3 of “Mission Vayu” to donate 500 additional units of heavy-duty BiPaP ventilators to hospitals, trusts, social organisations, support groups, and district administrations across India. With requests pouring in across India, it will help ensure timely intervention and support to the patients nationwide.
Sudhir Mehta, lead and coordinator, Pune Platform for Covid-19 Response and president, MCCIA, said, “We are grateful to our partner organisations, members and donors, for making this possible. For more than a year, we have continued to supplement efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of the pandemic and we pledge to support it going forward as well. Extending our efforts and supplies all over India is the need of the hour and we shall continue to do so, to the best of our abilities.”
PPCR platform set up at MCCIA is a volunteer group of members of civil society who came together to minimize the impact of the Covid outbreak in Pune city and its surroundings.
