NEW DELHI: ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth, the CSR arm of ICICI Group, on Tuesday said it has firmed up plans to donate 1,800 oxygen concentrators to hospitals in the tough terrains of Himalayan belt and remote tribal areas of the country in 2021-22.
These oxygen concentrators will be provided free of cost to over 700 sub-divisional hospitals across nearly 175 districts in 17 states, it said in a statement.
The first batch of over 300 concentrators has been dispatched, it added. The donation is aimed at providing citizens in these regions with immediate oxygen support in the event of a medical emergency.
ICICI Foundation said it has procured these high-quality oxygen concentrators from BPL Medical Technologies and Phillips India.
These companies have an extensive service network across the country, which shall ensure prompt and efficient maintenance support for the machines, as and when required.
Further, the Foundation is also providing a power back-up system so that the concentrators can filter and produce medical-grade oxygen uninterrupted even in case of a power breakdown.
Besides, ICICI Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BPL Medical Technologies to co-create a specialised skill training module on installation and servicing of oxygen concentrators.
This module will be part of the curriculum being offered by ICICI Academy For Skills, a part of ICICI Foundation, that imparts pro bono vocational training to lesser privileged youth.
Post training, the successful trainees can earn livelihood by servicing oxygen concentrators.
"We believe that this initiative will contribute significantly in our battle against the pandemic, especially in the challenging terrains and remote areas of our country," ICICI Foundation President Saurabh Singh said.
The partnership with BPL Medical Technologies will help in skilling lesser privileged youth to service oxygen concentrators, he added.
ICICI Foundation has been engaged in the areas of skill development, sustainable livelihoods, environment conservation, financial inclusion, healthcare and education across urban and rural India.