Covid-19 second wave: Walmart scales up efforts to fight pandemic in India

The company will donate up to 20 oxygen-generating plants and 20 cryogenic containers for oxygen storage and transportation

Walmart is mobilising its global resources to further expand support for Covid-19 relief efforts in India.
 
Walmart, the Walmart Foundation, Flipkart, and PhonePe, along with Walmart’s Global Technology and Sourcing hubs, are collaborating to counter oxygen shortages, support the national vaccination drive and donate to organisations.
 
“Walmart is a global family. We feel the impact of this devastating surge on our associates, families and friends across India, and it’s important that we come together to support however we can,” said Doug McMillon, president and chief executive officer of Walmart Inc.
 

“We feel called to bring our resources to bear in times of crisis, and this moment is no different. We are working hard to combine Walmart’s global capabilities and Flipkart’s distribution network to ensure vital oxygen and supplies are made available to those who need them most.”

 
To help the country meet its urgent need for medical-grade oxygen, Walmart businesses worldwide are working together to procure vital oxygen concentrators and other equipment. Walmart will donate up to 20 oxygen-generating plants and 20 cryogenic containers for oxygen storage and transportation, as well as more than 3,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 oxygen cylinders for delivering oxygen therapy to patients at home or in the hospital.
 
These are being sourced globally and will be donated to hospitals and NGOs in India for distribution.
 
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have also committed to fund an additional 2,500 oxygen concentrators as part of the US-India Business Council and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum’s joint relief effort.

 
Extending these efforts, the Walmart Foundation is donating $2 million to support various NGOs in India.
 
A total of $1 million will be allocated through the Walmart Foundation Disaster Relief Fund, a donor-advised fund, to recommend support for ‘Doctors for You’ to operate isolation centres and temporary hospitals, as well as provide personal protective equipment for frontline medical workers.
 
The other $1 million will be allocated to GIVE Foundation to support GiveIndia’s Covid response fund, which will support physical infrastructure and equipment for the medical sector in India, prioritising the most impacted and vulnerable.
 
Walmart, Flipkart, and PhonePe continue efforts to encourage vaccination, including setting up on-site vaccination clinics at no cost for associates and their households, as well as Flipkart and PhonePe’s full-time contractors and delivery workers.