These relief actions including ‘Oxygen for India’ are made possible by Paytm’s move to involve its large user base in joining hands for helping the nation.
India is fighting a rigorous battle against COVID -19. Patients’ families, hospitals and the authorities have been trying every possible measure to access regular oxygen supplies. There have been numerous news reports of instances when the supply has reached hospitals a little too close to the deadline of the oxygen resources finishing up. This has made the oxygen concentrators the most sought-after machines in the country currently and have become crucial lifesavers. To meet this demand, Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma came up with the ‘Oxygen for India’ initiative to help give patients & their families easier access to oxygen as they fight against the novel coronavirus. The campaign will, simply put, help India breathe.
Breathe a sigh of relief
Under this initiative, Paytm Foundation is providing oxygen concentrators to the hospitals directly. These devices would be sent to hospitals and covid care centers as well as Resident Welfare Associations as the brand will airlift thousands of oxygen concentrators. Along with this, the foundation also aims to provide a solution for the root of the issue. Plans are in motion for setting up oxygen plants across 12-13 cities in India and the required procedures and approval processes for this are underway.
INR 25 Crores donation, 5 days, 1 promise
These relief actions are made possible by Paytm’s move to involve its large user base in joining hands for helping the nation. Through the app and its various networks, users were urged to donate and till now over INR 10 crores have been collected, which Vijay Shekhar Sharma has, as promised, matched up to create a total donation amount of INR 25 crores, all gathered within 5 days. These funds are being be utilized for the oxygen supply and plant creation.
Encourage the Jab
In a statement, Paytm’s Spokesperson said, “Our founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma is leading a dedicated team with medical expertise to push forward and streamline company-wide Covid relief measures.” And oxygen relief is not the only measure he is thinking about. The Paytm app has also been updated with a Vaccine Finder feature which has come as a solution to many who had trouble identifying available slots for their vaccination.
Thinking of the Paytm family
Sharma has been known to be an interactive leader, always taking interest in employees’ growth and experiences. But this time, he made it personal!
Paytm has supplied over 60 oxygen concentrators for employees in need and has also set up a 24X7 helpline for immediate relief, which gets about 100 calls a day. Townhalls are also conducted where health experts along with Sharma himself respond to employees’ & their families’ questions and put fears at bay.
If an employee loses the Covid battle, their family is provided financial help and employees’ insurance policies now also include COVID-19.
Several big hospitals are relying on daily oxygen supply and do not have enough resources for backup in the case of emergencies. Families who are struggling to get a bed have to stand in queues for almost 12 hours to get portable oxygen. Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s Oxygen for India campaign is a rescue plan for this need of the hour and will help the stressed healthcare system to fight the novel coronavirus.
Paytm has been a key driver in letting India conduct digital payments and has enabled many on the Digital India journey, now is the time to see how this fintech giant will help India get back on the path to good health.
