India has been going through a health crisis of unprecedented dimensions. The health systems are stressed in our country, and we need to prepare for similar developments and avoid a possible third wave. Thankfully we aren’t alone in this struggle; several individuals, companies, and countries have supported India in this crisis.
We captured several news stories during the peak of the second wave to showcase the significant humanitarian efforts made by giving back to the community, taking part in philanthropic causes, and providing positive social value to the Indo-German community and the world.
New Oxygen Plant built in record time
May 12 2021, “Together, we can win”, was the message of Walter J. Lindner, German Ambassador to India, when inaugurating the Oxygen Plant in Delhi’s Sardar Vallabhai Patel DRDO COVID Hospital. The plant is supervised by the Ministry of External Affairs. Colonel Juergen Thym, along with his team of experts, helped set up the plant.
The plant was made in two days flat with everything from laying the concrete to building the plant with the first test run for oxygen production. As a result, the plant can produce 4,00,000 litres of oxygen seven days a week.
The team of 12 German paramedics from the German Armed Forces Sanitary Command who set up the plant trained Indian experts to operate the machine smoothly.
Rhenus Logistics India arranges for 120 Oxygen Concentrators
“We got the opportunity to be a small part of the Covid relief drive and helped to arrangethe transport of 120 oxygen concentrators from Germany to Bangalore, India. Big thanks to the initiators Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) GDIZ - German-Indian Association German ConsulateBangalore and Indo-German Chamber of Commerce”. As posted on Linkedin by Lukas Schmitz, Branch Manager - Gurgaon at Rhenus Logistics India (P) Limited.
SCHWING Stetter India extends its support to combat COVID19 in Chennai
SCHWING Stetter India, manufacturer and supplier of construction equipment, converted a floor at its F75 unit in Sriperumbudur into a Covid care centre. They have deployed medical officers, nurses, ambulances and beds with oxygen supplies. The centre is in compliance with Tamil Nadu Govt protocols. Thoughtfully, a yoga therapist and psychiatrist/counsellor are also available.
“#SCHWING Stetter India extends its support to combat #COVID19 in Chennai by converting a part of our facility into covid care centre including #O2 beds, exclusively for our employees and their dependents and also by conducting regular #VaccinationDrive #schwingstetter”
Source: https://twitter.com/SchwingIndia/status/1393196463102984197
Bengaluru man procures 117 oxygen devices
A city-based patent consultant’s brief friendship with a German project coordinator has come in handy for Covid-hit Bengaluru gasping for oxygen. Vinay Kumar, the consultant from Basaveshwaranagar, virtually got in touch with Franziska Weissoertel, an international project coordinator based in Munich, in December 2020 to work on an agricultural project in Madanapalle. Though the project did not work out, the duo is helped Bengaluru get 117 oxygen concentrators from Germany on a war footing.
Bosch India hands over medical aid worth 1 million euro to Niti Aayog Auto component maker Bosch India handed over medical aid worth 1 million euros to the government’s think-tank Niti Aayog to combat the second wave of COVID-19 in India. The aid includes 92 ventilators and 438 oxygen concentrators, 10 oxygen cylinders, and other medical supplies such as face masks and glass cannula from major manufacturers, it said.
“We thank the Indian consulate in Germany, Indian Red Cross, and Bosch India who helped expedite this consignment in a swift and efficient manner”. Bosch India has been consistently supporting central and state government through several initiatives, and we appreciate their efforts to help India fight this pandemic, NITI Aayog CEO, Amitabh Kant added.
In addition to this, Bosch India has also invested in ventilator repairs, establishing COVID Care Centres, and upgrading primary healthcare centres around its facilities and is committed to providing continued support and work with societal engagements during COVID while taking care of our employees, their families and the society-at-large.
BMW Group India pledges Rs 8 crore for COVID relief
BMW Group pledged a total of Rs 8 crore towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. An additional contribution of Rs 5 crore has been made on top of the company’s earlier commitment of Rs 3 crore, the automaker said in a statement. The company’s efforts are dedicated towards augmenting healthcare infrastructure and medical services in Gurugram (Delhi- NCR) and Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu), it added.
BMW India Foundation has contributed significantly towards strengthening healthcare infrastructure and has set up an isolation ward and PCR Lab at Chengalpattu Government Hospital with a further commitment to providing RT-PCR lab equipment and microbial detection systems to expand COVID-19 testing, the automaker said.
BMW said it is also ensuring the safety and welfare of its employees and their families. The automaker has tied up with leading hospitals to vaccinate associates and their families at the BMW Group Training Centre in Gurugram and BMW Group Plant Chennai in Chengalpattu.
Additionally, BMW Group India has also imported oxygen concentrators from BMW Group AG, Germany, for employees and their families who are in critical care for COVID-19 treatment, it added.
DB Schenker partners with NGO for setting up an oxygen plant in Delhi hospital Integrated logistics services provider DB Schenker has taken a slew of initiatives,including partnering with an NGO for setting up an oxygen plant in a Delhi hospital to support COVID relief efforts. The oxygen plant, which is being set up in Delhi, will assist in increasing the ICU and oxygen beds, D B Schenker said in a release back on May 18.
The company also provides COVID-19 insurance cover to all the employees and has introduced several health initiatives,said Vishal Sharma, CEO, Cluster India and Indian Sub-Continent, DB Schenker.
“DB Schenker in India is working with an NGO to set up an oxygen plant in a hospital in Delhi,having a total of 700 beds. The company is also providing COVID-19 insurance cover to all the employees and has introduced several health initiatives. The capacity of the plant would be 1,200 litres per minute which will assist in increasing the ICU beds from 50 to 150, oxygen beds from present 370 to 620, thereby freeing up oxygen for an additional 250 beds,” he said.
J&K receives several consignments of Oxygen generation plants from Germany Jammu and Kashmir, on different occasions, received several new imported oxygen plants from Germany. The state-of-the-art Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants, manufactured in Europe, were airlifted in Germany by the Indian Air Force’s C-17 cargo plane.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same. He said that it was only because of the prime minister’s personal intervention that J&K had received 16 oxygen plants from Europe in a short span of time.
“I express my sincere gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for his continuous efforts in taking care of the health and well-being of the people of J&K”, said Sinha.
Kolkata Police hospital, Barrackpore stadium facilities boost Covid care numbers The Bhowanipore facility, housed in the same building as the old Kolkata Police hospital—will have 40 HDU beds. For the rest, general beds, 150 will be set aside for police and110 will cater to other residents.The hospital, upgraded in 18 days, will be managed by the Medica group of hospitals and has been built on a PPP model, with support from Bandhan Bank and a donation from the German consulate.
Commissioner Soumen Mitra pointed out that the day Banerjee took oath as the chief minister for the third term on May 5, she visited the hospital and urged them to make it a Covid care facility on a PPP model. “We followed her instructions”, Mitra said. “I am pleased to see the inauguration of this additional Covid facility at the old Kolkata Police Hospital, financed with a contribution of almost 1.88 million Euros from the German government and the rest 2.9 million Euros from PPP initiatives. Germany’s solidarity thus reaches out to all parts of India affected by the pandemic. The partnership with Medica has proved to be effective during last year’s relief efforts”, said German Consul General Manfred Auster.
ŠKODA AUTO donates in cooperation with the Volkswagen Group one million euros to fight COVID-19 in India Due to the serious humanitarian situation in India caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, ŠKODA AUTO has planned an aid package in cooperation with the Volkswagen Group consisting of in-kind and financial donations totalling one million euros. In doing so, the Czech car manufacturer is taking responsibility as a regional employer and for the members of the ŠKODA family at this difficult time.
The support will consist of medical supplies and a monetary donation to the German Red Cross. This is intended to meet as much different aid needs as possible in the crisis region. Among other things, ŠKODA AUTO is procuring medical equipment and materials such as oxygen generators and liquid oxygen tanks, which are necessary for inland transport. The brand’s purchasing and logistics departments are working tirelessly to acquire the relief supplies at short notice and deliver them to the crisis region as quickly as possible, despite the difficult conditions caused by the pandemic. The Indian Red Cross is expected to handle the distribution locally.
ŠKODA AUTO leads the Volkswagen Group’s activities in the Indian market and has a long-standing relationship of trust with local partners.
SAP Labs India leverages tech to support the Government of India, IGCC & local communities
At the peak of the second wave, SAP Labs India built a solution that integrates directly with the government’s Oxygen Digital Tracking System (ODTS) and helps streamline oxygen supplies across the country.
SAP Labs India also shipped ventilators from SAP headquarters in Walldorf, Germany and donated the same to the Government of Karnataka (GoK), and also partnered with GoK and multiple NGOs to create a live directory to help citizens find verified information on COVID19 test centres, ambulance services, doctor teleconsultation, oxygen concentrator suppliers and medical and food supplies.
Parallelly, the #KarnatakaFightsCorona Sankalpa portal was relaunched with new features to help facilitate over 4,300 volunteers to contribute to the state’s fight against COVID19 and is leveraged for donations to the CM’s Office.
SAP JAM collaboration platform was repurposed to build a marketplace for IGCC to help facilitate the easy exchange of COVID resources among member companies. As a result, over 400 organisations in less than a week were onboarded to bridge the demand-supply gap.
In order to scale relief efforts for SAP colleagues and their families, SAPMitra was built, an AI-powered COVID19 support Chatbot. A Conversational AI platform to locate COVID-related resources and services offered by SAP, like Emergency Hotline, Quarantine Facility, Insurance coverage, financial assistance, doctor teleconsultation, post-COVID Care, etc.
Source: Member’s contribution in IGE 3 2021, pg 61
Following are the Covid Support Initiatives from our Member companies: