Pfizer joins hand with NGO to set up 400 oxygen beds, 10 pc for pediatric patients in Delhi

By Shalini Bhardwaj
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 7 : Pfizer India on Monday announced that it has partnered with an NGO named Doctors For You to help create a 400 Oxygen Bed capacity at Delhi's Yamuna COVID Care Centre, from which 10 per cent would be reserved for pediatric patients.
With a grant of Rs 4.50 crore (approx. US $600,000), from Pfizer, Doctors For You has procured and deployed 400 high-quality beds with oxygen support and other medically necessary equipment including high-quality ventilators, oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, laboratory equipment, consumables and services of medical and paramedical staff services to maintain the operations at the facility.
Out of the 400 oxygen beds, 10 per cent of beds have been set up to specifically meet the requirements of COVID-19 pediatric patients.
The Yamuna COVID care facility primarily caters to mild and moderate cases, more broadly meeting the needs of lower-income patients, migrant labourers, paediatric patients, and others. Any severe cases that need ICU support get referred to Government tertiary care hospitals with ICU facilities. Partly funded by the Delhi Government, the facility is being run jointly by the Delhi Government and Doctors For You.
In addition to the aid provided by Pfizer India, the US-based Pfizer Foundation gave Rs 4 crore (US $500,000) as a grant to AmeriCares, an NGO, to support a 30-bed ICU facility at the Bandra Kurla Complex, a Jumbo COVID Centre in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
According to the Pfizer Foundation, this support will help mobilize critical equipment needed to make the ICU facility operational.
The aid would help in setting up more than 350 units of 40 different types of high-quality equipment such as ventilators, CNS monitors, patient monitors, syringe pumps, etc, said the Pfizer Foundation.
The Foundation also provided a US $500,000 grant to Direct Relief to fund the support, acquisition and distribution of critical medicines, medical supplies (including oxygen), and PPE.
The Pfizer Foundation is a charitable organization established by Pfizer Inc. It is a separate legal entity from Pfizer Inc. with distinct legal restrictions.
Earlier this month, Pfizer Inc had announced its biggest ever humanitarian relief effort--with the donation of essential COVID medicines valued at over Rs 510 crore (US $70 million).
"The first consignment of 2.2 million units of essential medicines valued at around Rs 50 crore has reached New Delhi and is being handed over to the Indian Red Cross Society by our NGO partner. The donation includes steroid medications to reduce inflammation, anticoagulants to help prevent blood clotting and antibiotics that treat secondary bacterial infections. These medicines have been identified as part of the Government of India's COVID treatment protocol and will soon start arriving in India for use in Government hospitals across the country," said Pfizer Inc.
"Pfizer is firmly committed to support India in its fight against the pandemic. We stand in solidarity with all those currently affected by COVID-19 in India and around the world and will continue to do everything possible to provide assistance in India's fight against COVID-19. These have been unprecedented times and ever since the beginning of the pandemic, our COVID-19 relief efforts have been focused towards supporting public health workers, government authorities and our partners so that patients have access to the treatment they need," said S Sridhar, Managing Director, Pfizer Limited.
"During this turbulent and uncertain time, we are humbled by the support that Pfizer has extended to Doctors For You for converting the Yamuna Sports Complex in Delhi into a makeshift hospital that comprises 800 oxygen-supported beds. During the crisis of the second wave, the steadfast support from Pfizer is helping us save more lives and provide patients with utmost care and treatment to defeat the virus. With the aim of saving as many lives as possible during this pandemic, we could achieve this with Pfizer's generous contribution towards the cause," said Dr Rajat Jain, President, Doctors For You.
During the first wave of the pandemic last year, Pfizer had funded the procurement and deployment of critical and life-saving equipment including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, multipara monitors, crash carts, ECG machines, blood gas analyzer machines, nebulizers, and ABG machines, and personal protective material to over 400,000 healthcare workers across the country.