Indian American, Global Nonprofits Ramp Up to Provide COVID Relief to India
Covid-19 coronavirus relief supplies from the U.S. are seen on the tarmac after being unloaded from a U.S. Air Force aircraft at the Indira Gandhi International Airport cargo terminal in New Delhi on April 30, 2021. (Prakash Singh/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
India-West Staff Reporter
Among several global organizations and Indian American nonprofits ramping up to provide relief to India as it battles its latest COVID-19 crisis, the International Association for Human Values, in partnership with India-based Art of Living, has raised a $1 million fund (out of a target $2 million) to mobilize emergency equipment and deploy essential services, a media release said May 3, according to a PTI report.
Already 250 medical grade oxygen concentrators, 50 ventilators and 413 oxygen cylinders have been distributed to hospitals in need, it noted, adding that in addition, 450 oxygen concentrators from the U.S. and 1,000 from China have been procured and are in the process of getting to India this week. Another 1000 concentrators have been ordered, it said.
Other organizations providing support include:
*The humanitarian nonprofit CARE is constructing temporary COVID hospitals and care centers in line with government strategy, which will provide hospital beds, medical oxygen, medical staff, drugs, PPE kits and more; is ramping up COVID-19 vaccination drives across the country; and is addressing the immediate relief needs of displaced migrants caused by breakdown of livelihoods due to the pandemic and provide COVID-19 awareness trainings to combat misinformation.
According to ANI, as the United States continues to deliver vital medical supplies to India to support its fight against COVID-19, a flight from America carrying 125,000 vials of the anti-viral drug Remdesivir landed in India May 2.
* The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin April 27 announced that it has launched a campaign for medical oxygen, tele-consultations and educational webinars all with an aim at combating COVID-19 in India.
AAPI president Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, while referring to the several proactive steps in educating their members and the general public about the disease, urged AAPI members and the general public to step up and donate generously as India is facing one of the most serious health crises in decades.
Jonnalagadda said they have located a source manufacturer that supplies oxygen concentrators each of which can save several lives in India. The cost of each unit is around $500.
The Indian Embassy and Consulates will assist in the rapid shipping and customs regulations of these lifesaving units, the AAPI president said.
Additionally, Jonnalagadda announced that “AAPI, with the collaboration of numerous members/chapters, has placed orders for securing and delivering oxygen concentrators for 200 units to be delivered direct to hospitals in India with the help of SEWA International.”
AAPI president-elect Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, who is leading the AAPI initiative to help and support plans to help the physicians and the people in India, summarized the deliberations.
* The American India Foundation has launched Phase 2 of its Emergency Response Strategy, including securing oxygen concentrators, ventilators, PPE and pulse oxymeters for frontline workers and hospitals. It is also setting up portable hospitals in areas of need, locating storage equipment for vaccines, among other initiatives.
* According to a report on kgo.com, a group of friends in Silicon Valley, Europe and India has mobilized to send oxygen concentrators where they’re desperately needed. “We’ve been able to literally pull together members of the Indian community around the world in all time zones in various continents,” said Reenita Hora, who heads marketing and communications at Menlo Park-based SRI International, according to the report. Oxygen concentrators made by Devilbiss in the U.S. are what they are sourcing wherever available globally, added the report. “We’ve been able to raise over $280,000 on our GoFundMe campaign from people across the globe,” added Kanika Mediratta, a Bay Area bank executive.
* WLS reports from Chicago that United Airlines is joining the effort to help by flying ventilators to India, which were donated by the US-India Chamber of Commerce DFW to the Indian Red Cross.
* In Orlando, Florida, wesh.com reports that the Indian American Chamber of Commerce is partnering directly with aid agencies to provide help for hospitals in India.
* The US India Chamber of Commerce Foundation is sending ventilators and other medical equipment to fight the current crisis through the Indian Red Cross in New Delhi.
* UPMAGlobal, based in Milpitas, California, is focusing its relief efforts on distributing masks, sanitizers, and soaps kits; food distribution to Covid infected poor patients and families; and free Covid vaccination drive for the underprivileged. A press release noted that UPMA’s vaccination drive will be focusing in multiple villages in Uttar Pradesh in India and nearby areas to provide free vaccinations to people living in slum areas of Uttar Pradesh, labor working in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and domestic help. It is joining hands with other nonprofits organization and volunteer teams to provide rapid Covid relief. Donations can be made at https://donorbox.org/upma-covid-19.
