BKT opens Covid-19 treatment centre at the Bhuj Plant

Off highway tyre specialist BKT has built a contactless Covid-19 treatment centre and E-ICU unit at its plant in Bhuj, India.

The centre, which is already operational,  joins the secondary medical assistance services that already exist on the site, employs a doctor and eight healthcare operators and will be responsible for treating workers and their families affected by Covid-19. Built in just three weeks, the unit has the most advanced medical technology, equipped with remote patient monitoring, data analytics on diagnostics and medicine management, high-flow oxygen machines, remote consultations using augmented reality, data availability across the globe for e-consults through Cloud monitoring systems and AI enabled X Ray imaging system provides the best in class care at BKT facility.

It is one of the first ever contactless E-ICU, Covid-19 treatment structure to be built outside of a hospital environment in India, designed by a team of doctors, engineers and IT experts with specific aim of preventing and minimizing the risk of the epidemic spread. Ensuring complete safety for employees, families and collaborators engaged at the BKT site in Bhuj.

This milestone reiterates BKT’s “People First” policy and has resulted for best in class care for its staff and their respective families during this unprecedented healthcare emergency. The company, which last spring did not hesitate to temporarily suspend production in order to safeguard the health of its employees and collaborators, has restarted production, while still following rigid safety procedures in line not just with the current governmental provisions but also with the strictest globally recognised practices.

Arvind Poddar, chairman and managing director of BKT said, “At a time, such as this, corporate social responsibility is more important than ever. We must take care, protect, support and help each other. We are trying to do this in India and in the world through initiatives realized by our branches in Italy and in the United States of America. We need positive messages, commitment, solidarity, and triumph of Human spirit.”

Through these difficult times, BKT has committed to provide relief not only in India, but also at an international level through its subsidiaries in Italy and in the US.

A significative initiative was born during the past months: the majority of BKT staff members from all continents donated one or more days of pay and the company multiplied eight times the amount collected. The entire sum was donated to BKT Foundation projects that provides concrete help to the worst affected people in India.

In its home country, strongly hit by the emergency, BKT also provided food supplies to disadvantaged people in Indian communities. Altogether 500,000 cooked-food packs were delivered along with 60,000 packages containing food ingredients, such as flour, oil, salt and rice.

BKT also donated to healthcare personnel 80,000 PPE kits, namely disposable coveralls for the assistance of Covid-19 patients, complete with hood, mask, gloves and shoe covers. In addition, 410,000 face masks and 4000 counter shields were donated and distributed with the help of our partners distributors located in different regions. The hospitals received support with more than 155,000 bed sheets and over 30,000 doctor’s scrub suits.

In Italy, the company contributed to the Cesvi (Italian NGO) basic necessities’ homedelivery project for people in risk groups or in difficulty. While the BKT’s US subsidiary donated funds to Samaritan’s Purse, an international organisation that deals with the management of health emergencies and that during the peak of the Covid-19 has built a field hospital in New York’s Central Park.