ETtechFintech company Paytm is setting up oxygen plants in 12-13 cities, as hospitals across the country face oxygen shortage amid the more virulent second Covid-19 wave.
Paytm is making donations to import these machines, which cost between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore per plant, through its foundation and will provide them free of cost to government hospitals, Paytm founder and chief executive Vijay Shekhar Sharma told ET.
Oxygen plants are industrial size machines that produce medical oxygen from ambient air and capable of supplying the gas to hundreds of beds.
Paytm's foundation is importing the plants in conjunction with various organisations including Elevation Capital and the American Indian Foundation. Paytm is in talks with various state governments and hospitals for approvals to set up the oxygen plants, Sharma said.
The wider economic impact of the second wave has started to become evident from April and the priority of Paytm as well as other startups were the survival of the community and its employees, Sharma said.
“Before economic growth, we need to think about the sustainability of our human forces, the people,” he said.
Unlike last year, when companies were trying to understand the situation and gauge the virus, the current wave's impact has been completely unexpected, Sharma said.
“This year, we thought that Covid-19 was sorted out and that vaccination would take care of the next steps, but that there will be a spread and a mutation that will take lives was unexpected,” he said.
As of Sunday, Paytm had received Rs 9 crore worth donations, while it matched the contribution, taking the total to Rs 18 crore, as part of its ongoing campaign to import 21,000 oxygen concentrators.
In fact, solving the oxygen crisis facing hospitals nationwide has become a key focus area for many companies.
Logistics and supply chain startup Delhivery has helped import 1,000 oxygen concentrators, co-founder Sahil Barua said in a LinkedIn post on Sunday.
The company announced its plans to provide logistical support to import oxygen concentrators from China last week as India has been hit by a shortage of air cargo capacity, especially from the neighbouring country, the company had said.
“Airborne and inbound. Our first set of 1,000 oxygen concentrators have landed and are in distribution to hospitals, administrators and organisations around the country,” Barua wrote.
He said that 38,444 more oxygen concentrators were expected to arrive through next week.
Oxygen concentrators are portable machines that tap oxygen from the air for use by patients at home and can be used by one patient at a time.
A Delhivery spokesperson said last week that the company was providing logistical support on an urgent and subsidised basis, and not importing the material itself.
Delhivery imported the material on behalf of various organisations including food delivery app Zomato and Action Covid-19 Team Grants (ACT Grants), which announced a plan to raise Rs 75 crore for home health management, oxygen solutions, vaccinations and to supplement the medical workforce.
Paytm is making donations to import these machines, which cost between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore per plant, through its foundation and will provide them free of cost to government hospitals, Paytm founder and chief executive Vijay Shekhar Sharma told ET.
The company is expecting deliveries in the next 4-6 weeks.
Oxygen plants are industrial size machines that produce medical oxygen from ambient air and capable of supplying the gas to hundreds of beds.
Paytm's foundation is importing the plants in conjunction with various organisations including Elevation Capital and the American Indian Foundation. Paytm is in talks with various state governments and hospitals for approvals to set up the oxygen plants, Sharma said.
The wider economic impact of the second wave has started to become evident from April and the priority of Paytm as well as other startups were the survival of the community and its employees, Sharma said.
Discover the stories of your interest
“Before economic growth, we need to think about the sustainability of our human forces, the people,” he said.
Unlike last year, when companies were trying to understand the situation and gauge the virus, the current wave's impact has been completely unexpected, Sharma said.
“This year, we thought that Covid-19 was sorted out and that vaccination would take care of the next steps, but that there will be a spread and a mutation that will take lives was unexpected,” he said.
As of Sunday, Paytm had received Rs 9 crore worth donations, while it matched the contribution, taking the total to Rs 18 crore, as part of its ongoing campaign to import 21,000 oxygen concentrators.
In fact, solving the oxygen crisis facing hospitals nationwide has become a key focus area for many companies.
Logistics and supply chain startup Delhivery has helped import 1,000 oxygen concentrators, co-founder Sahil Barua said in a LinkedIn post on Sunday.
The company announced its plans to provide logistical support to import oxygen concentrators from China last week as India has been hit by a shortage of air cargo capacity, especially from the neighbouring country, the company had said.
“Airborne and inbound. Our first set of 1,000 oxygen concentrators have landed and are in distribution to hospitals, administrators and organisations around the country,” Barua wrote.
He said that 38,444 more oxygen concentrators were expected to arrive through next week.
Oxygen concentrators are portable machines that tap oxygen from the air for use by patients at home and can be used by one patient at a time.
A Delhivery spokesperson said last week that the company was providing logistical support on an urgent and subsidised basis, and not importing the material itself.
Delhivery imported the material on behalf of various organisations including food delivery app Zomato and Action Covid-19 Team Grants (ACT Grants), which announced a plan to raise Rs 75 crore for home health management, oxygen solutions, vaccinations and to supplement the medical workforce.
Get Unlimited Access to The Economic Times
