Amid the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, India is dealing with an acute shortage of oxygen supply. The Mahindra Group has rolled out a free service initiative, ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ (O2W), which will strengthen the availability of oxygen by connecting oxygen producers with the hospitals and medical centres in dire need of it.
O2W is launched in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Chakan, Nasik and Nagpur with over 100 Mahindra vehicles ferrying oxygen, at the present. Discussions are ongoing with the civic administration and government departments to extend this free service to other cities as well, most importantly to Delhi, which is facing an acute shortage. Given the overwhelming response in the past 48 hours, extending this initiative to deliver oxygen cylinders directly to patients’ homes is also under consideration.
O2W will be helmed by Mahindra Logistics, a Mahindra Group company, which is partnering with the administration and local government bodies on this project. With a large fleet of vehicles at its disposal and an integrated command and control center, Mahindra Logistics is working on creating a seamless and endless chain of supply of lifesaving oxygen and transport it to the hospitals and medical centres in a way that is safe and reliable.
Talking about the initiative, Anish Shah, Managing Director & CEO, Mahindra Group said, “We are committed to deploying our resources and capabilities innovatively to address the challenge on hand. Oxygen on Wheels meets an urgent need by partnering with local authorities to help save precious lives and reduce the pressure on our healthcare services.”
Mahindra Group has been at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19. The Group’s efforts cover a wide spectrum – from raising funds to sustain the government’s relief efforts and providing ICU beds, emergency cab services, quarantine centres, to monetary support and dry rations for the underprivileged, to re-engineering its production lines and facilities to manufacture much-needed PPE, face shields, face masks and aerosol boxes to aid the fight against coronavirus.
Additionally, the Group is closely working with the Government to setting up oxygen plants and building isolation centres. M&M’s plants as well as its suppliers are not using oxygen for any industrial activity. Tech Mahindra supported Nursing Academy’s staff and students have been helping in various hospitals. Vaccination has also been a key priority for the Group, with emphasis on 100% vaccination for all its associates and their families.
