BENGALURU: In what could boost the India’s vaccination drive against the coronavirus, large technology firms have offered to cover the cost of vaccines for their employees and dependents in the country as well as facilitate the process.
Tech firm Capgemini on Thursday said it will cover the cost of the shots for all its eligible employees and dependents in India.
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It has joined hands with wellness partners to assist its team members with queries related to vaccines, and also medical queries that employees and their dependents may have.
“…Adhering to the government protocols, Capgemini will cover the cost of the vaccination for all the eligible employees and their dependents who are part of our medical benefits program,” said Ashwin Yardi, CEO of Capgemini in India.
IT firms Infosys Ltd and Accenture Plc have also said they will bear covid-19 vaccination costs for their employees in India. While Infosys is looking to partner with healthcare providers to vaccinate its employees and immediate families, Accenture said the cost for employees and dependents who are eligible and choose to receive the vaccination will be covered.
Vaccines administered at government health facilities are free, while private facilities cannot charge more than ₹250 per dose, the Centre has said.
Ride-hailing firm Uber India on Thursday said it has extended support to the ministry of health and family welfare, state governments, and local NGOs with free rides to assist in the second phase of the vaccination drive.
The free rides can be used to travel to and from the nearest authorised vaccination centre, across 35 cities, by citizens above 45 years of age with co-morbidities, the company said.
“Our efforts in this partnership will be focused on providing safe and timely transport options for the most vulnerable sections of our population. As a part of our commitment to #MoveWhatMatters globally, we will continue to support vaccination drives so that affected communities can quickly recover from the pandemic and rebuild their lives,” said Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and South Asia.
On every ride claimed under ‘vaccination promo code’ on the app, Uber will give a Rs150 discount across all its products.
Singh said the 35 cities have been selected on the basis of where Uber has an existing large network.
Uber said it will also spread awareness through its app and social media channels. Given that drivers on Uber’s platform meet the two main criteria of essentiality and vulnerability, Uber has requested the central government to make them eligible for early access to vaccination.
