NEW DELHI, May 19, 2021: The American India Foundation (AIF) has shipped more than 30,000 single use, self-powered ventilators and 13,000 monitors to India, an in-kind donation received from Xerox, in an immediate response to the government’s appeal for NGOs to aid ‘Covid 19 interventions in India, during this ‘once in a century crisis’. Shipped by FedEx in collaboration with MetLife Foundation, the ventilators are disposable, hands-free devices that do not require power from electricity or batteries, making them versatile and appropriate, especially for usage in Tier III cities and rural areas that may not have a steady power supply. Each single use ventilator can be used for up to 30 days, while the monitors can be used multiple times.
“In preparedness of a looming spike in Covid 19 cases in rural India, and to meet critical health infrastructure needs, the ventilators and monitors will be immediately dispatched to Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi”, informed Mathew Joseph, Country Director, AIF
These medical equipment units will benefit hospitals and medical facilities to treat milder or more controlled symptoms of the COVID-19, thereby freeing the ICU-grade ventilators for the more critical patients. The hands-free ventilators, offer a secure airway using a continuous gas source. They can be operated on a compressor, oxygen or air, with a minimum of 10 litres per minute flow rates, making them a novel innovation, to support the current public health crisis.
“Bringing together, four organizations across two countries, this endeavor is another testament to the strong ties between India and America. The American India Foundation has received unrelenting support from the US, especially from the Indian-American Diaspora, swiftly raising $25 Million for the resurgent COVID 19 relief,” elucidated Nishant Pandey, CEO, AIF
ABOUT AIF RELIEF INTERVENTIONS
In the throes of this extraordinary medical disaster, with public health infrastructure brought to the brink, AIF has been working tirelessly to bring a critical covid 19 interventions. Leveraging its 20 years of experience working in humanitarian crisis, with various state governments and civil society organisations, AIF has so far, ordered 5,500 oxygen concentrators, 2,400 hospital beds and Oxygen Plants across 25 cities of the country.
Please contact Shreya Ralli (India) at +91 9868836171 or shreya.rali@aif.org
Or Braden Lay (US) at braden.lay@aif.org for queries
