EVEN as much of India reeled at the ferocity of the COVID-19 second wave and the consequent shortage in vital equipment and life-saving material in May this year, L&Tâs corporate social responsibility drive stood out as a beacon of hope and fortitude.
Between May and June, L&T delivered 201 oxygen concentrators, 42 medical ventilators and seven ambulances and other associated equipment across several states and a Union Territory. The states include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands where the items were routed via the respective district administrations.
L&T also procured and distributed as many as 2,200 PPE kits, 5,000 three-ply masks, besides several thermal scanners and pulse oximeters to end-users in Rajasthan.
As many as 96 oxygen concentrators of 10 liters per minute (LPM) capacity were delivered to the district authorities in the Andamans, Tirunelveli, and the Madurai Government Medical College and Hospital in Tamil Nadu in May itself when the second wave was at its peak. Another 32 were handed over to the administrations in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in June, while 63 oxygen concentrators of 5 LPM capacity each were dispatched for the intended beneficiaries â government hospitals â in Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Of the 42 ventilators, six were delivered to Hubli and Kalburgi government hospitals in Karnataka, 10 to the government medical colleges and hospitals in Tamil Nadu, two to the Shimla Military Command Hospital in Himachal Pradesh and 24 to several government hospitals in Gujarat. As many as 100 Fowler beds and five mobile X-Ray units were also donated to Tamil Nadu government hospitals.
While all these equipment are crucial for critically ill patients, availability of ambulance is vital for patients to be taken to hospitals in time. Taking note of this, L&T also donated seven state-of-the-art ambulances: five TRAX Cruisers and two Travellers.
While two of the ambulances were handed over to the authorities at Khandwa government hospital in Madhya Pradesh, the rest were sent to an NGO in Himachal Pradesh that extends patient-transfer services to people.
The move is yet another proof of how L&T stands by India and its people in times of need.