Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) is expanding its already-robust efforts to provide COVID-19 relief with the recent establishment of a contactless coronavirus treatment center at its plant in Bhuj, India.
The center, which includes an intensive care unit and employs a doctor and eight other health care professionals, has been designed to treat BKT employees and members of their families who have been affected by the virus.
"Built in just three weeks, the unit has the most advanced medical technology, equipped with remote patient monitoring, data analytics on diagnostics and medicine management, high-flow oxygen machines, remote consultations using augmented reality" and other amenities, according to BKT officials, who add that the facility is one of the first non-hospital, contactless COVID-19 intensive care centers in India.
“At a time such as this, corporate social responsibility is more important than ever," says BKT Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Poddar. "We must take care, protect, support and help each other. We are trying to do this in India and in the world through initiatives realized by our branches in Italy and in the United States. We need positive messages, commitment, solidarity and triumph of human spirit."
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, BKT has donated 500,000 cooked food packs and 60,000 packages of food ingredients to needy individuals and families, 80,000 personal protection equipment kits, more than 400,000 face masks, some 4,000 counter shields, more than 155,000 bed sheets and more than 30,000 health professional scrub suits. In Italy, where it maintains an office, BKT has contributed to the Cesvi basic necessities home delivery project. And the company's U.S. office, which is located outside of Akron, Ohio, has donated funds to Samaritan's Purse, an international group that deals with the management of health emergencies. (During the early days of the pandemic. Samaritan's Purse established a field hospital for COVID-19 patients in New York City.)
Click here for a summary of BKT's COVID-19 relief efforts during the first few months of the pandemic.