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Wipro has signed an agreement to repurpose one of its technology campuses in Pune into a 450-bed intermediary care Covid-19 hospital, with plans in place to hand over to the state government by 30 May.
The four-week turnaround, confirmed following a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Maharashtra, will include 12 beds to stabilise critical patients before moving to a tertiary care facility. Designed to treat moderate cases, the “independent and isolated” Covid-19 complex also includes 24 rooms to accommodate doctors and medical staff.
Wipro will provide the physical infrastructure, medical furniture and equipment besides appointing an administrator and skeletal support staff to help operationalise the hospital quickly with the required medical professionals. The hospital is expected to be converted back to an IT facility after 12 months.
“We are completely committed to supporting the country’s response to the pandemic and believe that we must all work together to deal with this crisis and minimise its human impact,” said Rishad Premji, chairman of Wipro. “We stand firmly with the Government of Maharashtra in its battle against Covid-19.”
In early April, Wipro and the Azim Premji Foundation jointly committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling the health and humanitarian crisis arising from the Covid-19 outbreak in India. Such resources are designed to help the frontline battle against the pandemic, alongside mitigating its "wide-ranging human impact".
The partnership is also carrying out Covid-19 related humanitarian and healthcare relief work in Maharashtra across Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad-Waluj, Amalner, Ahmednagar, Akola, Beed, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli, touching over 34 lakh beneficiaries across India so far.
“This humanitarian contribution by Wipro will further strengthen our medical infrastructure and benefit the medical fraternity who are at the forefront of our fight against the pandemic,” added Uddhav Thackeray, chief minister of Maharashtra.
