Airtel likely to pay for COVID vaccine for all its employees, their dependants

KEY STORY

• Airtel will reportedly cover the COVID vaccine costs for all its employees and their dependants. Airtel is currently looking at partnering with health care providers to vaccinate its employees and their families. According to an online report, Airtel has informed its employees that it will pay for COVID 19 vaccines for its employees and their family.

• ET Telecom cited Airtel’s Chief Human Resource Officer who in communication to Airtel’s employees said, “In line with our commitment to ensure employee safety and comprehensive wellbeing, Airtel is looking at partnering with health care providers to vaccinate our employees and their families as eligible under the guidelines given by the government of India and as per approved procedures and timelines.”

• Airtel’s development to give free vaccines for employees comes shortly after Reliance announced that it will bear the vaccination cost for its 1,39,000 employees and their families.

• In a mail to the employees, Chairperson and founder of Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani said, “Reliance will bear the full cost of vaccination for you, your spouse, your parents, and vaccine-eligible children. You and your family’s safety and well-being is our responsibility.”

• Other companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Accenture, Infosys and Flipkart have also pledged to pay for the two-dose shots of their staff. Rekha M Menon, Chairperson and Senior Managing Director, Accenture said that the company will cover the cost for eligible employees and their dependants who are part of their medical benefits program to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.

• Infosys company’s chief operating officer Pravin Rao had also noted that the company is looking at partnering with healthcare providers to vaccinate employees and their immediate families as eligible under the guidelines given by the government of India and as per approved procedures and timelines.

CONCLUSION

• Flipkart also informed its employees that the company will cover a hundred per cent of the vaccination cost for all Flipkart and Myntra employees and three dependants. The company noted that the employees can either choose to be reimbursed for the costs of the vaccinations or get them free of charge at a partner hospital.

• Last year Airtel had collaborated with Apollo 24|7, the digital business unit of The Apollo Hospitals Group “to support India’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Apollo 24|7 had developed a self-assessment test that uses AI-based technologies to allow users to assess their COVID-19 risk profile by answering a few simple questions through the Airtel Thanks app to enable its customers to check their COVID-19 risk profile.