American India Foundation’s India Covid Relief Projects Move Forward

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The CEO of American India Foundation Nishant Pandey, recently returned from a 45-day visit to India watching the progress of projects for Covid relief firsts hand. Things are moving forward and a hospital in Pune is ready to begin operations, the AIF reported in its latest newsletter Aug. 26, 2021.

“I am so proud of the work that YOU have enabled us to do, whether it is installing oxygen plants across 51 cities, setting up long-life portable hospitals across 35 cities or deploying 5300 oxygen concentrators across all 29 states of India!”  Pandey said in his letter to supporters.

The AIF has also launched Mission Corona Vijay, a vaccination program which is vaccinating one million vulnerable people.

Alongside, vaccine drives are underway across the country, for people from the most vulnerable communities, including persons with disabilities, migrant laborers and street vendors, sex workers, the tribal population, and women working in the unorganized sector, AIF said.

The Bombay Municipal Corporation and AIF, through mobile vaccine administration partner Vaccines on Wheels, recently launched the initiative in Maharashtra. These mobile clinics will give access to vaccines, doctors, and support staff to over 100,000 people, by organizing micro-vaccination booths near the communities and administering no cost COVID-19 vaccines.

“As the urgent life-threatening health crisis abates, we are now looking at how we can help children bounce back from the impact of COVID-19, both in terms of learning and nutrition deficit that the pandemic has caused, especially for young girls,” Pandey said.

An ambitious Project Entre-prerana, has the goal of creating $1 billion worth of aggregate and incremental income for street vendors affected by COVID-19, by leveraging commercial capital and digital payments (and repayment) platform.

Alongside, vaccine drives are underway across the country, for people from the most vulnerable communities, including persons with disabilities, migrant laborers and street vendors, sex workers, the tribal population, and women working in the unorganized sector,  AIF said.
The U.S.-based organization said it is setting up 2,600 beds at hospitals across the country.
A 100-bed Portable Hospital at the Rural Hospital Tal in Baramati, Pune district is ready to use. AIF announced. The portable hospital has a 25-year durability and can be repurposed/moved for any other relief in less than a week’s time.

Designed by Modulus Housing, these hospital units will provide sustainable relief and preparedness for future emergencies.

“Thank you to Mastercard and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India for your support and guidance,” AIF said.

In addition, the AIF said so  far, 38 oxygen plants have been successfully installed, 9 are currently under construction, and 9 are in transit.