Petrochemicals giant LyondellBasell Industries is donating $100,000 to the U.S. India Friendship Alliance to provide 250 oxygen concentrators to hospitals and medical facilities across India, where the COVID-19 pandemic is raging.
Officials said in a news release that amid the country's COVID-19 crisis, patients "are in serious need of oxygen, with demand increasing every day.
As of May 14, India's Ministry of Health & Welfare had reported more than 24 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 262,000 deaths. Medical experts have said the number of deaths is likely higher than reported.
India's number of cases trails only the U.S., according to statistics firm Worldometer. But the number of new cases in the U.S. is declining, while India's number continues to grow.
"We cannot battle the ongoing crisis alone," said Gaurav Verma, treasurer of the alliance. "Deepening private sector partnerships with organizations like LyondellBasell will undoubtedly help to save lives and bend the curve during this emergency."
Oxygen concentrators are used to help deliver oxygen to patients struggling to breathe. The concentrators take air from the room and filter out the nitrogen, resulting in higher amounts of oxygen for the patient. LyondellBasell's donation will assist the U.S. India Friendship Alliance with its goal of supplying 100,000 oxygen concentrators to be distributed across the country by the Indian Red Cross Society.
"Our hearts go out to the people of India," LyondellBasell Corporate Relations Manager Elizabeth Weiss said. "The country is home to a number of our employees. There is no stronger commitment we can make than to the health and safety of our people and the communities where we live and operate."
Houston-based LyondellBasell also has provided employees at its manufacturing sites throughout India with 4,000 COVID-19 quick test kits and 4,000 N95 masks.
LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest producers of polypropylene and polyethylene resins and is North America's largest plastics compounder. The firm has operations in more than 100 countries and posted sales of $27.7 billion in 2020.