Covid Response

You can help us SAVE LIVES!

Dear Sponsor,

We seek your attention to the grim situation that the Covid-19 Pandemic second wave has gripped the whole world and India in particular, and thrown a challenge to the Healthcare Providers in containing and managing the critically ill patients striving to survive.

A year ago, when the world was grappling with the beginnings of an unprecedented global pandemic, the Grace Cancer Foundation (GCF) quickly pivoted to address the critical situation in India. GCF leveraged its programs' infrastructure on health, education, and Rehabilitation via its wide network to address the needs of the nation with ventilators, PPE, and other interventions in order to save the lives of vulnerable Indians from COVID-19. Yet here we are, 12 months later, seeing an even more deadly resurgence of the virus in India.

GCF has jumped into action by quickly setting up a 50 bed COVID facility and a 10 bed COVID ICU facility in Nizamabad (a Tier 2 city in Telangana, India) and is ready to launch more such facilities in this Phase 2 of our COVID-19 Relief response and we need your support in executing them swiftly.

This brief report summarizes Phase 2 strategy to deal with the situation and how Grace can provide hands on support with its infrastructure and resources.

Situational Assessment:

India recorded the world’s highest daily tally of 349,691 COVID-19 infections on April 25th, as this second wave sent many more into a fragile health care system, critically short of hospital beds and oxygen. The images from India are difficult to witness, such as those of Indians with empty oxygen cylinders crowding refilling facilities, hoping to save loved ones in the hospital.

Working with our partners, hospitals, and governments, GCF has launched a three-pronged Phase 2 Emergency Response Strategy to address this crisis.

Please join us today and share this email with your friends and family - help us build a movement to blunt this tragic time in India.

The response will be led by Mr Niranjan Raj, Dr Chinnababu and Dr Prameela Rani and supported by Dr Hemant Vudayaraju and Kiran Vakkalanka. This team will receive active support and supervision from Chairman, Sri BL Sujata Rao, IPS and under the overall guidance of the Grace Board of Directors.

Grace Cancer Foundation: Plan of Support

(work in collaboration with various partners)

Issue/Gap to be addressed	High-level solution	Key stakeholders
How to increase in temporary hospital bed capacity across High impact areas	Enable the development of field hospitals, mobile clinics, convert existing Speed up vaccination at lower layers of social system through mobile clinics	Identify the key players who can build the infrastructure at town/district level
Identify simpler and alternative solutions for infrastructure enrichment (oxygen supply etc)	Conduct hackathaons to identiify creative/innovative solutions for managing oxygen demand;	NCC, NSS, NGOs
Home care kit and healthline guide by village	Video and pamphlet distribution in every village; TV shows; Radio shows; Video training youth about helping patients at village level	Systematic collaboration w/media
NGOs network at District level	Create a virtual network of ALL NGOs involved in health service and share the resources at village/town/district level	State Govt should create a quick meeting w/all NGOs

EMERGENCY RELIEF MEASURES:

Grace cancer Foundation is currently engaged in undertaking the following activities

A. Immediate interventions by GCF would include:

The 7-day moving average for Telangana is 10122 on Tuesday the 27th of April.

In this light there are 3 interventions that would be very valuable:

Option 1: Ability to offer oxygen support at home. Support needed would be
- Oxygen distribution facility
- Trained nurse/community volunteers/family members. (paid volunteers trained in safety, oxygen management and instrument reading; supported by an app for feeding info about the patient to track patient)
- Telemedicine for the patient/nurse.
Option 2: Ability to offer support as ancillary to hospitals. Portable mini hospitals (20-50 beds) smaller units are set up within a 2 km. radius of the hospital where oxygen support can be provided to patients. One hospital could support maybe 3 or 4 such centers. Support needed
- Retired medical personnel could man these centers and be paid for their efforts
- Common SOP for rapid training is developed
- There are FAQs available online.
- Doctors available on a telemedicine system of the primary hospital for support.

Option 3: Rapid vaccination drive (Mobile buses)
- Population of Hyderabad: 10.2 mn.
- Population 15-45 @60%= 6 mn.
- 70% to get herd immunity = 4.2 mn.
- @20,000 per day =210 days (bit too long)
- Therefore, rapid local immunization, ensuring ward wise herd immunity.

B.In the short term, the following activities are envisaged:

1. Multiple 100 bed facilities that work as ancillary to the Hospitals

2. Mobile buses using public address systems that travel to media-dark locations especially Rural areas and locations endemic to seasonal migration of people.

3. Rapid vaccination drive (Mobile buses)

4. Research on Covid and allied areas- Grace has been part of Innovation challenge along with T hub to touch young minds and address practical problems

5. NCD Awareness and tele-consultation

6. Vulnerable population Support-Support for early detection of cancer, cancer care, treatment in these tough times. Awareness on common symptoms and risk factors of other non-communicable diseases.

7. Mental and psychological Support.

8. Covid counter –Tele health Support

C. Follow up in long-term

1. Mobile based follow up visits and ensuring Safe hygiene practices

2. NCD follow up and care including life style modification

3. Implementation of Grace

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) are cornerstones of program interventions planned at Grace.

Regular monitoring will ensure that the processes laid out at the planning stage are adhered to throughout the course of the implementation. Mobile based technologies will be utilized for real time information to flow directly from the field to the central team. This will ensure that the program is on the right track and field level realities and challenges can be dealt with, in a timely manner.

PROPOSAL:

Grace seeks the support of its donors and partners to augment its resources for the urgent implementation of this COVID-19 Phase2 Response Strategy.

Very truly yours,
Dr Chinnababu Sunkavalli,
CEO, Grace Cancer Foundation.

Location

Grace Cancer Foundation, Flat No:405

Vindhya apartments, Ameerpet, Hyderabad.

Hello

+91 9000011223

Mail

chinna@gracecancerfoundation.org