Mercedes-Benz India Announces A 1500-Bed Temporary Hospital For COVID-19 Patients In Pune

In view of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Mercedes-Benz India has decided to help set up a temporary hospital with medical facilities and 1,500-bed isolation wards for coronavirus patients in Chakan, Pune. Announcing the aid on Wednesday, the car manufacturer will be working with the local authorities for the same.

In addition to the temporary hospital, Mercedes-Benz India has also announced that its employees will be contributing their one day's salary voluntarily. The amount procured from this will be matched by the company and forwarded towards the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund for COVID-19 pandemic.

"In the wake of the ongoing global health crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Mercedes-Benz India has decided to set up a temporary hospital with medical facilities and isolation wards for COVID-19 patients. The newly developed medical facility in Mhalunge-Ingale village, Chakan Khed, will have isolation wards with a capacity to take care of 1,500 patients," the company said in a recent release.

As per the release, the facility will be built in Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority's (MHADA) housing area, a newly built structure with 374 rooms. For the temporary hospital, the German auto-maker will assist the Zila Parishad with the complete infrastructure of the set up. It will also help procure medical equipment required for a temporary OPD, infrastructure for stay, stretchers, wheel chairs, PPE kits, sanitisers and more.

Mercedes-Benz plant in Chakan, Pune (Representative Image: Reuters)

"The new medical facility will help support the local authorities and the people of the region with healthcare in the coming times, if the situation worsens,¡± said Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mercedes-Ben India. Mercedes-Benz India has both a manufacturing facility as well as a corporate office located in Chakan industrial belt in Pune.

In addition to setting up the temporary hospital, Mercedes-Benz India claims to have donated ventilators to a hospital and is now aiming to "support 1,600 families from Khed and Viman Nagar area (a locality in Pune near the airport).¡± ¡°The company will provide them dry ration and cleaning kits," it added.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control and the medical equipment is no longer required, the company plans to donate it to the Civil Hospital of Khed, while the assets from isolation wards will be donated to the tribal youth hostels.

Auto makers around the globe are joining the fight against COVID-19 with full force. Renault earlier announced that its workers are making masks from home to meet the rising demand in Spain. Back home, Mahindra engineers are hard at coming up with a working model of a low cost ventilator that will later be distributed to all for production.