As India continues to struggle with the second and more brutal wave of Covid-19, technology companies Lenovo, IBM, and Acer on Monday pledged support to strengthen and help the country’s fight against coronavirus.
Lenovo committed Rs 8 crore towards Covid-19 relief to meet India’s short-term and long-term requirements via the Lenovo Foundation.
Of this funding, Rs 5 crore will be donated in the form of medical equipment consisting of oxygen concentrators, refillable oxygen cylinders, invasive ventilators, and oximeters are being donated to hospitals where the need is high. The company said in a statement that the remaining Rs 3 crore would be dedicated to hospital extensions and supporting medical frontline workers.
Lenovo has also invited its employees, partners, and customers to contribute and donate medical equipment to those in need through its America India Foundation page.
“At challenging times such as these it helps to remember that we all want the same thing: for the people, we care about to stay healthy, the virus’ impact to diminish, for treatments to be developed and for life to return to normal. That shared sense of hope and purpose can encourage each of us during this difficult time and help us rally to meet the challenges we face,” Lenovo India said in the statement on Monday.
Tech giant IBM has created a comprehensive support plan for its employees and their families to tide through this pandemic. These include care for those impacted, like a dedicated 24×7 medical helpline, emergency transport for medical needs, medically supervised quarantine facilities in hotels, and preventive and enhanced care like vaccination for all employees and family members, additional IBM-funded insurance coverage, and oxygen concentrators for employees across India.
The company also has leveraged technology to develop an AI-powered IBM Watson Assistant that will assist employees in need of critical resources.
“We are amidst an unprecedented crisis, one that does not have a playbook. Our unilateral focus is ensuring health and safety of our employees, their families and communities at large. We have put together a comprehensive support plan for our employees and their families to tide through this pandemic,” said Sandip Patel, MD, IBM India, in a statement.
IBM is also a part of the Global Task Force on Pandemic Response launched by the US Chamber of Commerce to send aid to India.
Global technology brand Acer has also announced to donate oxygen concentrators to India. It said that the first batch of concentrators has arrived in the country for immediate distribution.
In addition, Acer has also contributed oxygen cylinders to NGOs who run Covid healthcare centers, including all the expenses for continuous re-filling of the cylinders, which has enabled them to save lives.
