New York hospital to send ventilators, other Covid relief material to India

Mount Sinai Hospital here is donating ventilators, PPE kits, masks and hand sanitisers for COVID relief efforts in India.

The hospital has given 10 ventilators, circuits, PPE kits, face shields, digital thermometers, N95 masks and hand sanitisers among essential medical supplies to the diaspora organisation Association of Indians in America (AIA).

Jaipur Foot USA will be in-charge for sending the shipment to India and then distributing it across various states.

During a brief ceremony at Mount Sinai on Thursday, AIA president Dr Urmilesh Arya and secretary Dr Usha Bansal thanked Mount Sinai hospital and its President Dr David Reich for donating the critical supplies for India.

Also present at the ceremony was Vice President of Clinical Innovation at the Mount Sinai Health System Robbie Freeman.

Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari expressed gratitude to eminent interventional cardiologist Dr Samin Sharma, Director of Interventional and Clinical Cardiology and President, Mount Sinai Heart Network for his efforts in facilitating this assistance.

Bhandari said it is because of the efforts of Sharma, who is also Chairman Board of Trustees AIA, that the critical medical equipment will reach the needy hospitals and patients in India as the country battles a devastating second surge of coronavirus.

Bhandari also thanked Reich and Freeman and the Mount Sinai hospital for their assistance and efforts.

He said the equipment will be distributed to various charitable hospitals in states and territories including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and New Delhi through Jaipur Foot USA's parent organisation Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti-BMVSS (BMVSS).

Its founder Padma Bhushan D R Mehta who will finalise which charitable hospitals in the states will receive the supplies.

Last month, Bhandari had given 21 oxygen concentrators on behalf of Jaipur Foot USA to Breath Bank', an initiative launched in Jodhpur to help provide the critically-needed medical equipment to COVID-19 patients.

India is currently witnessing the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, the country has recorded over 2,84,41,986 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 3,37,989 deaths.