Zoho Corporation, the Chennai-headquartered global technology firm, is helping hospitals and healthcare centers across Tamil Nadu with procurement and distribution of essential medical equipment for Covid-19 treatment. The company has also donated ₹5 crores to the state government’s public relief fund towards Covid relief. Other initiatives underway to support the state’s fight against the second wave of pandemic include an isolation care facility at the Estancia campus for employees and their families, vaccination drives, and community kitchens catering to villages around Chennai and Tenkasi.
On-going Covid relief initiatives by Zoho:
- Procurement and distribution of medical equipment: Zoho is providing oxygen supplies and medical equipment, worth ₹13 crore, to various private and public hospitals across the state that are treating patients from the economically weaker section of the society. The company plans to scale this support to the rest of India.
- To meet the high demand for oxygen supplies, Zoho helped government hospitals in Tamil Nadu get timely refills for 200 cylinders. Additionally, 200 new cylinders have been ordered.
- Distribution of 700 oxygen concentrators is underway for government hospitals and corporation healthcare centers.
- 150 HFNC’s (High Flow Nasal Cannula) distributed to various government and private hospitals across Tamil Nadu.
- 80 CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines distributed to Rajiv Gandhi government hospital (RGGH). Modification of 5 vans are in the works to help RGGH with ‘oxygen on wheels’.
- 300 beds have been procured for distribution to Stanley and Kumbakonam government hospitals.
- Contribution to Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund (CMPRF): Zoho has donated ₹5 crore to Tamil Nadu CMPRF to aid the government in its efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 and provide relief to those affected.
- Temporary care facility at Estancia for employees: A 30-bedded healthcare facility has been set up at the Estancia campus to provide basic assistance for relatively mild cases of Covid-19 among Zoho employees and their families. The healthcare center is in compliance with BMW regulations and treatment protocols established by the state government, and is supervised by Zoho’s in-house doctor.
- Community kitchens for local food relief: Zoho reopened its office kitchens in Chennai and Tenkasi in the last week of April to prepare food to be distributed to local villages. Currently, the company serves 30,000 meals a day across Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpet, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, and Gudalur (Theni). Plans are underway to scale up to 1 lakh meals a day and to expand the initiative to Namakkal, Coimbatore, and Salem.
For this initiative, the team underwent basic health checks and safety training at the outset, overseen by Zoho’s in-house doctors and safety team. Everyone is screened daily on various health parameters, and the company is ensuring that all safety protocols are being adhered to.
- Supporting NGOs and hospitals: Zoho is supporting various NGOs that are distributing provision kits to the underserved in Tier II and III towns. 2000 kits have been distributed until now, with plans to add another 12,000 soon within Chennai. Zoho is also providing monetary aid to a few hospitals.
- Vaccination drive: Zoho recently co-hosted a free vaccination drive in Madurai along with a few NGOs. The company plans to organize vaccination camps for employees and locals in other areas as well once an adequate supply of vaccines is available.
