Why is there a need now?
Doctors, hospitals and humanitarian aid workers in India have been sending out messages and amplifying pleas for beds, medicines and oxygen supplies on platforms out of desperation, as new coronavirus cases and deaths hit a record high. Beds, ICU’s, Ventilators and Oxygen supplies are at critically low levels, and all hospitals are overwhelmed with patients suffering from COVID-19. While daily confirmed cases continue to rise (4,14,000 on 6th May 2021) and the case positivity rate has gone from under four per cent to nearly 30 per cent in the past one month in Karnataka – the existing health infrastructure we currently have (Nationally and at a State Level) is just not enough to handle the volumes we are witnessing.
With over 4 Lakh cases per day and an estimated ~10 Lakh cases per day by August 2021, we are woefully short of Medical Infrastructure (Beds, ICU’s Ventilators, etc) and Medical Personnel (Doctors, Nurses, Attenders, etc)
We want you to know that YOU have the power to help. Please join us in our efforts to aid our fellow Indians.
Why does Karnataka and Bangalore need help Now?
Over 14 months since the pandemic first hit India, an ongoing surge is again devastating the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of children and their families across the country. The global pandemic is affecting all of our families, our work, our communities, and our way of life. However, the spirit of people in India to overcome this challenge, nonetheless, stands strong. The daily death toll has risen from 15 on April 4 to 288 on May 4. The rise in active cases of Covid-19 in Karnataka has been exponential, from 39,000 to 4.64 lakh in one month.
Karnataka is in the top 3 States, having the highest ‘Total Positive Cases’ and ‘Total Death Cases’.
Why do we need help immediately?
There is an urgent requirement to increase the total number of beds available, with an active rate of 36.29%(5th May 2021) and with 140 of the 198 wards in
Bengaluru having 500+ cases, we see a need to have a dedicated Bharat Covid Care Centre in each ward of Bangalore.
A dedicated Bharat Covid Care Centre will have all the functionalities of a full fledged hospital (General Beds, High Dependency Units (HDUs), Intensive Care Unit (ICUs), Critical Care Unit (CCUs), ICU Ventilator and Virtual ICU (vICU)s.
What kind of support are we seeking right now ?
We are seeking financial support from India Inc and Global Funding Sources, to establish and operate these Bharat Covid Care Centres.
This will be in addition to Bal Utsav’s existing support distribution system of ‘Stay-at-Home Edible Kits’, ‘Stay-at-Home Hygiene Kits’ , supply of Critical Medicines and Oxygen Cylinders and Facilitating Oxygen Concentrators
We want you to know that YOU have the power to help. Please join us in our efforts to aid our fellow Indians.
How we need to reimagine Support in times like this
With the current demand for Hospital Beds being over 5x of the current capacity, it is important that we quickly add to the growing requirement of beds, by uniting and supplementing the efforts of the Government and the Private Hospitals by adding Turn-Key Bharat Covid Care Centres. This will address the issue of lack of Infrastructure, while various initiatives are currently underway to increase the number of medial personnel
In addition the, Ministry of Corporate Affairs clarifies (5th May, 2021) that spending of CSR funds directly or through pooling of resources for ‘creating health infrastructure for COVID care are eligible CSR activities.
How we plan to create & operate Bharat Covid Care Centres for 90-120 days
While the Government is doing its best to respond well to this unprecedented situation, a strategic Public-Private Partnership forged with Civil Society Organisations will reduce the load on the already over burdened hospitals, especially in Bangalore where the infections are already very high and are increasing daily.
We propose this as an Open Source Solution for Civil Society Organisations to work with the local Government – this will ensure that we have the global support we need to work safely and effectively at the local level, where lives will be saved and communities will be protected.
An Overview : A Bharat Covid Care Centre
An Open Source Solution for Civil Society Organisations to work with the local Government, effectively addressing the challenge of Infrastructure and care in these times.
We want you to know that YOU have the power to help. Please join us in our efforts to aid our fellow Indians.
What will it Solve ?
By adding one such 100-bedded setup in each ward in Bangalore, we could add upto 198 x 100 = 19,800 additional beds in the next 3 weeks ! These Bharat Covid Care Centres will work with existing hospitals and share Medical Personnel (Doctors, Nurses, Attenders, etc) and technical know how.
While this crisis has already made history. Our actions now will shape the future; while we have been striving for a model that is “as local as possible and as global as necessary” in line with our localisation commitments. Post Covid-19 situation, these can be used for future pandemics/disaster relief / shelter programs or split them and use it as micro hospitals across rural areas
What can we do Together ?
Our traditional methods of support have had to be either reinvented or tossed out the window altogether. In living memory, there has not been such a truly global crisis. At Bal Utsav (Legal Name: Child Empowerment Foundation India), we have come together to save the lives of those in the midst of battling this surge of Covid-19 and also for those who are putting the safety of their own lives on the line.
While, some of you reading this may be safe at home, we want you to know that YOU have the power to help. Will You help us protect people from this surge of the coronavirus and its impact? We urge you to join us in our efforts to aid our fellow Indians.
If you can, please help us Today !
We are working round the clock, to help the nation defeat #Covid19. Your generosity can make a huge difference. Help us reach more people in need (all donations made are being channelised towards the #CovidSecondWaveInIndia), and we are in dire need of resources to establish and operate Bharat Covid Care Centres, Oxygen Cylinders, Oxygen Concentrator Machines and other medical aid.
We are fully behind the nation, and the Government to lead the challenge against this pandemic in these unprecedented times. We will work with the Government to handle the various legalities required to make this possible.
As the coronavirus spreads, we are looking at supporters like you for spreading hope. The starting point is to assemble a coalition of persons and groups willing to take this approach seriously.
We now understand that to overcome this virus anywhere we must overcome it everywhere, prioritising the most vulnerable populations with fast action, or we all remain at risk.
