COVID-19: Boehringer Ingelheim India is committed to support its community during the pandemic
As of mid May 2020, the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country have crossed 75,000+, while India is still in its lockdown. India went into lockdown on March 25, making it the largest lockdown in the world, restricting 1.3 billion people. One of the most impacted are the millions of migrant workers of India who were left stranded. India stands at an important turning point in its fight against the virus as it tries to contain the spread of the virus while also looking to protect daily workers from hunger and extreme poverty and towards kicking off its economy again towards growth.
COVID-19 has shown red flags for the elderly and especially those living with chronic diseases. In the context of poverty, low income and malnutrition conditions like cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes become even more concerning during the pandemic.
The state of Maharashtra, home to Boehringer Ingelheim’s India headquarters is the worst impacted with highest COVID-19 cases and fatality rate. This has led to severe shortage of healthcare workers, infrastructure and necessary aid to tackle Covid19 care to those impacted.
Boehringer Ingelheim India was amongst the first few companies supporting local authorities in Maharashtra in this crisis. Boehringer Ingeheim has committed a total contribution worth approx. EUR 150,000 supporting various local initiatives. This included aid via Americares India Foundation to support Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for setting up COVID-19 quarantine centers. The donation included 1,000 personal protective gear, 5,000 face masks and the distribution of 10,000 N95 masks to hospitals in India. Additionally, N95 masks were procured from China for further distribution to healthcare professionals.
The Company also made a contribution of approx. EUR 25,000 to the Prime Minister of India Cares Fund. Boehringer Ingelheim employees have also made a payroll contribution by donating part of their salary to this fund which the company will match as an additional payment.
We continue to monitor the situation and doing our best to extend our support through aid material and volunteering efforts towards tackling the crisis. Boehringer Ingelheim India Leadership is committed to do whatever it takes to support the community in fighting this pandemic.