India needs your help to tackle the current wave of Covid-19. We're fundraising for oxygen concentrators, other medical supplies and urgent projects. All the medical facilities we send the equipment to we have personally vetted. So you should be safe in the knowledge that your donation is tracked to delivery. Our current projects are in: Bangalore, Delhi, Jharkhand, Muzaffarpur, Patna.
Events in India with relation to Covid-19 have deteriorated. Mass gatherings such as cricket matches in Ahmedabad, continuing farmer protests, the enormous Kumbh Mela and regular election rallies especially in West Bengal, combined with low vaccination rates (only around 1.9% of India is fully vaccinated) and more contagious variants have combined to create the perfect storm.
Deaths are likely to be massively under-reported. Whatever we see on our TV screens from big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, the reality in smaller towns and rural areas away from the illuminating effect of the media, is likely to be much worse.
We’ve had reports of several Bridge India Members suffering deaths in their immediate and extended family - for that, from all of us, our heartfelt condolences. Like many other diaspora organisations, we’ve been doing our bit to help. So far, we have done the following:
1. 4 oxygen concentrators were due to land in Delhi last Thursday, but delayed now until Wednesday for delivery to Paras Healthcare.
2. 1 more concentrator has arrived in London, and waiting for delivery of 11 more to the Joint Women’s Programme in Gurgaon and St Joseph's Prashanth Nivas in Mangalore.
3. Potentially assisting with the acquisition and transport of up to 100 more concentrators.
4. Assisting with a private charter this coming week for the shipment of a large number of concentrators already in London.
5. Creating a makeshift hospital with 25 beds in Sareikela Kharsawa district in Jharkhand, including leased oxygen concentrators (none are available locally to buy).
6. 1,000 food rations to Covid-positive patients this week (Package 1: Rice, Dal, Roti, Veg Curry; Package 2: Dry Items like Corn Flakes, Oats, Chura, Milk. Sugar, Parle-G Biscuits, 0.5kg Fruit) to Patna and Muzaffarpur. Ongoing activity each week.
7. Converting a van into a makeshift private ambulance inc with bed, oxygen cylinders and defibrillator, and contributing to trained paramedic, trained driver and ongoing maintenance costs in Bangalore.