Hospitals scrambled to handle the influx of patients. Doctors and researchers desperately sought ways to save lives. The priorities of healthcare systems and their supporting partners turned upside down. Few places have been hit harder than India. In March 2021, their second wave, which proved more deadly than the first, was just beginning.
As an international company with more than 1300 employees based in India, DeliverHealth was compelled to assist however it could. As part of the developing corporate social responsibility program, DeliverHealth partnered with the United Way of Bengaluru to provide supplies to Karnataka, the largest state in South India. Karnataka had recently reported the biggest single-day spike of 34,804 new COVID cases, so our corporate support was critical.
“We couldn’t stand by as the infrastructure continued to collapse,” said Gautam Kumar, vice president and general manager of DeliverHealth India. “As an employer in the area, it was heartbreaking to watch our employees—fellow countrymen and women—lose family members. We immediately reached out to the United Way and asked how we could help.”
After collaborating with the United Way to identify areas of greatest need, DeliverHealth donated one fully equipped ambulance, a Bi-PAP machine, a ventilator, and oxygen concentrators. The ambulance is equipped with advanced lifesaving equipment that provides necessary COVID treatment from the moment patients are picked up until they arrive at the hospital. Furthermore, the supplies support two to three hospitals in the rural areas of Karnataka, which have been extremely hard hit and lack the infrastructure and government support available to larger cities in India.
“One of our most important goals is to be an upstanding corporate citizen,” said Michael Clark, CEO of DeliverHealth. “This year our efforts are focused on COVID relief, and this donation honors our employees and their families in India. We look forward to expanding our philanthropic programs to benefit the communities that we serve worldwide.”
Above: (Left to right) Somsuvra Mukherjee, Changappa MP, Dr. Vivekananda, Gautam Kumar. DeliverHealth donated seven oxygen concentrators 10L to Sri Sai Ram Hospita, Dr. Vivekananda Shetty, Managing Director. Sri Sai Ram Hospital is running three different 30-40 bed facilities in Bangalore.