PPE Kits for Medical Workers in India

Covid Situation in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated our planet. Millions have been infected with the virus and billions are affected economically. Lives and livelihood are in peril. India is the latest epicenter of the virus. Off late, India is recording over 300,000 new cases with over 4000 deaths each day. A mere 4% of the country is fully vaccinated, with around 9% having received their first dose. Less than 40% of the 30 million frontline workers are fully vaccinated. 

The second wave of COVID-19 in India has come as a massive tsunami. Hospitals are overwhelmed and the healthcare system is under extreme stress. Morgues have been using mass cremations to dispose of bodies at an alarming rate. A new virus strain, known as B.1.617, is circulating in India and has been identified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization. Early studies suggest this variant has increased transmissibility with serious symptoms and is more resistant to treatment and vaccines.

Project Summary

HealthShine Implementation Team - Serena Hirani & Sia Belani

Local Implementation Partner - Smile Foundation

Phase 1 Project Goal - $5,000 US dollars

Timeframe (Phase 1) - May - June 2021

Project Details

We have decided to take initiative and help in any way we can. Our intent is to collect funds to help provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the medical doctors and staff so they can safely take care of the patients. This would be a continuous project for a year, however, Phase 1 would last from May to June 2021 to provide immediate relief. Phase 1 will focus on providing PPE kits and other health essentials for frontline workers in India.

Each PPE kit includes:

• 1 surgeon cap

• 1 pair of goggles

• 1 sanitary gown

• 1 pair of shoe covers

• 1 N-95 face mask

• 1 pair of surgical gloves

• 1 biological waste bag

• 1 trolley cover

Each kit will keep one medical worker safe for one day and thirty kits will keep one medical worker safe for one month. Along with the PPE Kits, our intent is to provide funds for procuring oximeters (to measure oxygen levels), face masks, and 5 L bottles of hand sanitizer, all of which are in high demand.

All of these materials will be distributed to hospitals, COVID centers, and primary healthcare centers in India. As COVID is nowhere near over, we will continue this project in phases to continue doing what we can to help frontline workers in India.

Smile foundation - Our Local Partner

Healthshine is once again collaborating with our local India partner, Smile Foundation, to successfully implement the project. Smile Foundation is an NGO based in India, working on grassroots initiatives for effecting positive changes in the lives of underprivileged children, their families, and communities. They focus on innovative healthcare, education, and market-focused livelihood programs. SMILE Foundation has the highest standards of governance to implement projects.

Healthshine team

This project is being jointly led and managed by Serena Hirani and Sia Belani. They are working closely with our local implementation partner, SMILE Foundation. Sia and Serena are cousins and have grown up in the USA.

A personal note from Serena Hirani - “I am a tenth-grade student at Oakton High School in Northern Virginia and am interested in STEM. I am also passionate about art and founded the site simplesprays.com to share my spray painting with the world. I am extremely lucky to have grown up in a privileged family, and it is important to me to do my part to help others gain access to things, especially in healthcare.” 

A personal note from Sia Belani - “I am in tenth grade at Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Technologies in Edison, New Jersey. I am majoring in mechanical engineering at school. I am passionate about helping others and tutor eighth- and ninth-grade students. During the summer of 2020, I created and donated hundreds of handmade masks to my community in preparation for COVID’s second wave.”

Impact

Phase 1 of the project provided PPE equipment to 30 medical workers throughout community health centers in Bhupalpally and Telengana, areas in India without district hospitals. It is imperative we continue to protect our frontline workers as they are our last hope in this battle against COVID-19.

Our sincere appreciation to all our supporters.

HealthShine is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations made to HealthShine are tax-deductible. You will be provided a tax id number to claim your deduction.