Amazon in collaboration with USIBC is working with NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), who are defining the distribution plan for these ventilators.
- 1,000 Medtronic ventilators to be delivered to India starting May 5
- Amazon is fully funding the first lot of 100 ventilators; these are arriving in India starting today and will be sent to the hospitals with the most urgent needs.
- Amazon in collaboration with USIBC is working with NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), who are defining the distribution plan for these ventilators.
As India battles with a second, devastating COVID-19 wave, the Global Task Force on Pandemic Response, a newly-formed U.S.-based public-private partnership organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and supported by Business Roundtable, is working with the Chamber’s U.S.-India Business Council and the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum to take immediate actions to help address the COVID-19 surge in India.
Through its Steering Committee, the Task Force will work to concentrate efforts where corporate support will be most beneficial. Andy Jassy, AWS CEO and incoming CEO, Amazon is on the steering committee along with senior executives of other US businesses.
Last week, Amazon had announced that it is sponsoring the supply of 100 ICU ventilator units costing USD 3.8 million from the US. After receiving strong expressions of interest from other corporates, and with a common objective to scale the program much bigger, Amazon approached USIBC to build sponsorship for a much larger scale. Under USIBC’s leadership, their various members have now committed to bringing in 1000 Medtronic ventilators urgently to India. Amazon’s 100 ventilators comprise the first lot under this program and are arriving in India starting today. Amazon in collaboration with USIBC is working with NITI Aayog and the MoHFW, who are defining the distribution plan for these ventilators.
Medtronic will manufacture the ventilators and handle end-to-end shipping, installation, and ongoing and virtual training.
“This is a severely difficult time for all of us in India. It is reassuring to see the business community come together to help the nation,” said Amit Agarwal, Global SVP and Country Head, Amazon India. Together with USIBC, we are working with NITI Aayog and MoHFW to identify hospitals in the most urgent need and enable the distribution of these ventilators to help those in need across India.”
