Diageo pledges £4.5m to provide infrastructure and equipment to support India’s COVID-19 response

• Diageo to set up Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants in Government Hospitals in 21 districts to create long-term oxygen capacity.
• Diageo to provide fully equipped, prefabricated 16-bed mini-hospital units, with PSA oxygen plants, in another 15 critical districts to increase bed capacity.
• Diageo to donate medical equipment (oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, ventilator beds and other critical patient care devices) to Public Hospitals across 10 States to address immediate needs at hospitals.

Diageo, maker of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, has pledged £4.5m to support India’s COVID-19 public health infrastructure during the second surge of the pandemic.

Through this initiative, Diageo will help Indian Government Hospitals in 21 districts to set up Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants to create long-term oxygen capacity. Diageo will provide the state governments with fully equipped, prefabricated 16-bed mini-hospital units with PSA oxygen plants in 15 most critical districts, one in each state of India. This will help increase hospital bed capacity in the district with the flexibility to upgrade to ICUs or Critical Care as well as relocate to districts of greatest need. It will further donate medical equipment including oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, ventilator beds and other critical devices to public hospitals across 10 States.

Anand Kripalu, Managing Director and CEO, Diageo India said, “At a time when the country is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, we want to support the Government’s efforts and stand by the citizens of India. The demand for long term medical infrastructure, especially hospital units, hospital beds and oxygen is what is needed most, and we hope our contribution will help play a part in India’s recovery.”

Given the scale of the devastation, Diageo has adopted a ‘One State One District’ approach, with the aim to ensure that support reaches at least one district in each state and Union Territory of the country. Diageo’s initiative will be supported by Invest India and executed by Give India by prioritising the requirements of the state authorities, identifying critical districts and ensuring the smooth transition to State Medical officials.

Since the pandemic started in 2020, Diageo plc has donated alcohol to make more than ten million bottles of hand sanitiser to support frontline healthcare workers across more than 20 countries as well as launching its $100 million hospitality recovery fund, ’Raising the Bar’, to support pubs and bars welcome consumers back in countries when it is safe and sustainable to do so.

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About Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

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