As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world at an alarming rate, the Christian Medical College, Vellore is taking aggressive action to prepare for the pandemic and ensure that care is available for everyone seeking help.

CMC’s emergency response plan calls for an investment of $456,000 over the next couple of weeks to set up and equip a 12-bed surge intensive care area. Together with Friends of Vellore around the world, the Foundation is responding to this urgent need to rapidly and efficiently prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic. Our hope is that together with our network of CMC friends and supporters we will raise as close to $456,000 as is possible.

Dr. J.V. Peter, CMC Director, shared that “CMC has created a Central Team for COVID-19 preparedness (CTCP) that meets daily and gets input from several other committees (e.g. Hospital Infection Control Committee, Mask and Supplies team, clinical management team, triage team) in the planning and preparedness for COVID-19. CMC has created protocols for screening, testing, triaging and management that is updated daily and posted in the CMC intranet so that the community is updated. [CMC has] also created space and surge areas to screen (flu clinic) and admit patients (wards, intensive care) if (when) they come.”

We may all be isolated at our homes at the moment, but our support can  have an incredible impact. For every $38,000 we raise, we will be funding the purchase of one fully-equipped bed, which includes a bedside ventilator, a syringe pump, an infusion pump, a feeding pump, a patient monitor, a humidifier heater, an ECMO machine, a shared ultrasound unit, as well as other essential supplies.

Together, we can stand with CMC in their fight against COVID-19 and their continued commitment to the promotion of health and wholeness in the lives of individuals and communities.