‘Mission Vayu’: Equipment Worth Rs 100 Crores Deployed By Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response

Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 6th May 2021: Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response (PPCR), anchored at Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), has successfully implemented two phases of Mission Vayu by donating 7800 oxygen concentrators, 875 BiPaP ventilators, and 50,000 pulse oximeters across India.

‘Mission Vayu’ is one of the largest civic-led initiatives to support the healthcare infrastructure and tackle the pertaining oxygen shortage across India. It is anchored by various corporate partners and foundations including Singapore-headquartered investment firm Temasek and Temasek Foundation.

The three-phased project with an estimated investment of Rs 100 crores has been planned, implemented and executed in less than 10 days since its launch. The costs are jointly shared by Temasek, Temasek Foundation, ACT Grants, the Swasth Alliance and 1000+ donors and members of PPCR. Air India, Singapore Airlines, Olam International, Amazon India, Kerry Logistics have supported the logistics of airlifting these essential equipment from Singapore to India for Mission Vayu Phase 1, 2 & 3.

In Phase 1, 550 BiPaP ventilators and 7500 oxygen concentrators were airlifted from Singapore and donated to the worst affected districts of Maharashtra, Delhi and other affected areas.

Phase 2 was launched to ensure medical supplies for patients in remote places. 325 units of heavy duty BiPaP ventilators, 51,000 oximeters, over 20 ventilators were distributed to hospitals, trusts & support groups in states largely affected by the COVID crisis including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka.

With rising critical cases and subsequent shortage of life-support equipment, PPCR has now launched phase 3 of Mission Vayu to donate 500 additional units of heavy-duty BiPaP ventilators to hospitals, trusts, social organisations, support groups, and district administrations across India. With requests pouring in from every corner of the country, this will help ensure timely intervention and support to the patients nationwide.

Speaking about the initiative, Sudhir Mehta, Lead & Coordinator, Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response & President, MCCIA, said, “We are extremely grateful to all our partner organisations, members and donors, for making this possible. For more than a year, we have continued to supplement efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of the pandemic and we pledge to support it going forward as well. Extending our efforts and supplies all over India is the need of the hour and we shall continue to do so, to the best of our abilities.

I would like to thank the Prime Minister’s Office, State Governments, Local District Administrations, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Civil Aviation, High Commission of India in Singapore and High Commission of Singapore in India for their constant & prompt support and response.

I would like to thank the Union Government for agreeing to our request to waive customs duty on oxygen and related critical items. Given the ongoing case positivity and fatality ratios, we will be able to impact thousands of lives every week through this initiative. The response we have received has been extremely gratifying as we were able to raise funds and support from 1000+ industries, businesses, philanthropists, and individuals from across India.”

Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response (PPCR) platform set up at MCCIA is a volunteer group of members of civil society who came together to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in Pune city and its surroundings. Through coordinated action, the multi-stakeholder group aptly named Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response (PPCR), exemplified meta-leadership abilities to cope up with the crisis.

From raising funds to channelizing resources; from distribution of ration kits to arranging ventilators/HFNO’s and from training medical staff to counselling citizens, the platform has proactively pursued the cause of supplementing government efforts and helped the system sustain the pressure.

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