In India, people in rural areas are not being reached with supplies and services to stop the second wave of COVID-19. HelpAge is responding in remote areas of the country by setting up a dedicated COVID-19 ward and ambulance service at a rural hospital in Rajasthan's Thar Desert region. We are supporting efforts to reach out to 200,000 older people in the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan. We are additionally distributing critical health information on COVID-19, along with urgently needed hygiene
The second wave of COVID-19 is devastating India's rural communities, which have long suffered from chronic poverty and deficient health systems. COVID-19 containment measures, including lockdowns, have caused devastating knock-on effects, including deepening poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. Although older people are the most at-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and some of the hardest hit by the lockdown, their needs have not been prioritized in the national response.
HelpAge works with our local partners in the most remote villages that are not being reached with relief supplies and services. Together we operate a hospital and mobile health services that serve 30,000 patients annually across 50 villages. We work alongside communities to provide fresh food, disinfectant, protective supplies, livelihood assistance, mental health support, and public health information to ensure those most at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic get the help they need.
This project is reaching thousands of older people and their households with immediate relief supplies and critical health information, helping stem the spread of COVID-19 in vulnerable communities.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
