In a bid to help India's vaccination drive, software giant Infosys announced that it will cover the cost of vaccines for its employees as well as their immediate family. For this purpose, Infosys is looking to partner with healthcare providers.
Infosys has over 2.4 lakh employees working across 40 countries. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the software giant was among the first in the IT industry to allow work from home. With this new initiative, Infosys will be able to bolster the vaccination drive, which is currently underway worldwide.
"Infosys 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. Infosys will cover the vaccination cost for the employee and immediate family as part of our focus on health and wellness," Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys, said in a statement in response to queries sent by Moneycontrol.
This comes only two days after Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murty got vaccinated. Speaking to Moneycontrol, Murthy said he is feeling perfectly fine, alleviating any doubts and concerns related to taking the vaccine. Murthy also revealed that he was given Covishield by the Serum Institute.
Accenture to cover vaccine costs
Besides Infosys, another IT giant Accenture has announced that it will cover the cost of vaccination for its employees and immediate families. This is part of the company's medical benefits programme.
"For employees who are eligible and choose to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, Accenture will cover the cost for the employee and their dependents who are part of our medical benefits programme. We are grateful to our people for their patience and resilience as we work together to manage through these extraordinary times," said Rekha M. Menon, Chairperson and Senior Managing Director, Accenture in India, in a statement.
Accenture has 2 lakh employees in India.
COVID-19 vaccine cost
India is offering the COVID-19 vaccine at the cheapest cost as compared to other countries. At Rs 250, eligible candidates can get vaccinated at their turn in a private hospital while government hospitals are giving the jab free of cost.
For the sake of comparison, China is charging Rs 2,200 for a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the US is charging Rs 1,400, Saudi Arabia charges Rs 390 and India is at the lowest at Rs 250 per dose.
