The second wave of COVID is devastating India. Ahmednagar District, where Snehalaya operates is one of the worst hit with no beds, oxygen or medicines available to our largely rural population. We are pressuring authorities to improve the situation while also operating our own medical facilities & offering vital support to as many of the 150,000 plus in our district who have tested positive with COVID.
Since March 2021 a flood of positive cases has overburdened medical facilities throughout our district and in April we were in the top ten worst affected districts in India with over 1,000 new cases a day. With high demand & limited medical facilities available for COVID patients it is the poorest in society who are hardest hit. Cases of trafficking, child marriage and domestic violence are also increasing & access to support is limited by lockdowns.
Our 30-bed hospital is currently treating around 70 COVID patients a day & a 150-bed COVID Care Center has free medical & quarantine facilities for asymptomatic patients & those with mild to moderate symptoms. Outreach work, ambulance services, community radio and 24/7 helplines are helping us reach 5 million people, including women and children who are victims of the shadow pandemic causing increased domestic violence, child marriage & trafficking cases.
By supporting the most vulnerable groups with medical support during the current second wave we will improve their chances of surviving the pandemic crisis and reduce the number of people requiring our help once the crisis ends. We will also provide women and children with the help and services they need right now and will also help them to rebuild their lives one the pandemic has been contained.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
