Wipro to repurpose its Pune facility into a 450-bed Covid-19 hospital

IT services major Wipro on Tuesday said it will repurpose one of its offices in Pune into a 450-bed intermediary care Covid-19 hospital. The process will be completed in four weeks and the IT firm will hand over the facility to the Maharashtra government by May 30. 

The Azim Premji-promoted firm has signed a pact with the Maharashtra government to repurpose its office facility at Hinjewadi, a major IT hub in the city. The hospital will be converted back to an IT facility after a year.

The 450-bed hospital, to be equipped to treat moderate cases, will include 12 beds to stabilise critical patients before shifting them to a tertiary care facility. This is an independent, isolated Covid-19 dedicated complex that also includes 24 well-appointed rooms to accommodate doctors and medical staff, the company said.

The IT firm also said it would provide required physical infrastructure, medical furniture and equipment, besides appointing an administrator and skeletal support staff to help operationalise the hospital quickly with the required medical professionals.

"We are completely committed to supporting the country's response to the pandemic and believe that we must all work together to deal with this crisis and minimise its human impact. We stand firmly with the Government of Maharashtra in its battle against Covid-19," said Rishad Premji, Chairman of Wipro Limited.

Last month, Wipro, Wipro Enterprises and Azim Premji Foundation, together committed Rs 1,125 crore for tackling the pandemic. Currently, Wipro and Azim Premji Foundation are carrying out Covid-19 related humanitarian and healthcare relief work in Maharashtra, covering Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad-Waluj, Amalner, Ahmednagar, Akola, Beed, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.