India is facing a deadly second wave of COVID-19. Number of reported Covid positive cases seems to be on the rise and thousands reportedly die daily. Hospitals and medical facilities are running out of oxygen and ICU beds, with patients left outside hospitals waiting for care.
There are several groups and individuals are responding to the crisis in India, distributing and installing medical equipment at health centers, distributing PPE to frontline health workers, and providing food and cash to meet people’s immediate needs. HELP INDIA BREATHE is a part of ApShiNi ventures’ endeavor by Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, Urologist in MO, USA and present Secretary of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, (AAPI) in helping individuals to donate Oxygen related supplies to India during this unprecedented calamity.
The American Association of physicians of Indian origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic medical organization in the USA representing the interest of more than 100,000 physicians in the USA has stepped up to the plate to deal with the crisis of India. “Thanks to the overwhelming support of its members that AAPI has raised almost $5 million in the past few weeks,” said Dr. Chakrabarty. “we have been working very hard in sending oxygen concentrators and ventilators to India, to deal with the calamity in India and are in the process of helping to set up oxygen generator plants in different hospitals in India. “
As AAPI cannot direct its resources to specific areas and relies on government of India to distribute its supplies, Dr. Chakrabarty has been working outside the umbrella of AAPI for directed transfer of the essential material, focusing mainly on the peripheral hospitals who do not get aid readily. With the help of an anesthesiologist from Dallas, Texas, (who prefers to remain anonymous) who acquired the donation of about 1500 co-ventilators from a Health Group based in Minnesota, United States, Dr. Chakrabarty helped to co-ordinate and facilitate transfer of these co-ventilators for use of primarily government and nonprofit hospitals all over India. The team from Oxygen for India (https://oxygenforindia.org/) helped in local transportation and airfreight to India without any charge.
With the help of the source, an anesthesiologist from Dallas, Texas, who prefers to remain anonymous along with an army of volunteers from Oxygen for India Dr. Chakrabarty is coordinating donation of about 1500 co-ventilators from a facility United States to government and nonprofit hospitals all over India. “Based on solicited requests from hospitals sent on their letterhead, specifically stating that this would be used free and not-for-profit and will not be resold. They have had more than 175 such requests, and still continue to get them,” Dr. Chakrabarty said.
ApShiNi volunteers have painstakingly verified the hospitals and put the information on Google sheets. The first batch of 1152 Co-Ventilator’s have reached Delhi and is in the process of being delivered to the hospitals. We expect more to be on the way,” Dr. Chakrabarty stated here. Volunteers from health cubed (www.healthcubed.com) and Bangla Worldwide http://www.banglaworldwide.com/) are handling local logistics and delivery in India, after doing additional scrutiny.
Explaining the strenuous process, Dr. Chakrabarty said, “We requested Indian Council of Critical Care (https://isccm.org/) to send the message to hospitals in India that are treating Covid 19 patients and solicited requests from their CEO on their official letterhead, specifically stating that this would be used free and not-for-profit and will not be resold. We were overwhelmed to have received more than 175 such requests, and still continue to get them. This is a mammoth undertaking with work still in progress.
