May 27th, 2021: Over the last couple of weeks, CMC has responded in two key domains:

First, the number of patients arriving at CMC each day with fever and breathing difficulty increased substantially as the pandemic wave shifted from the North and West to the East and South.

In response to this, we have

• Increased the number of beds for COVID from 72 in February 2021 to 1150 today (27th May 2021), including 109 intensive care beds. This includes the more recently added
  • 105 beds in the Paul Brand Block and
  • 204 in the new hospital in Kannigapuram and
  • 46 beds in the Chittoor campus.
• Urgently purchased 50 ventilators costing Rs.15 lakhs each and a host of other equipment, especially oxygen concentrators and cylinders, infusion pumps and monitors.
• Launched Udhavi, a 24×7 telephone helpline, in association with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Vellore and several other local partners*

Second, staff have put in monumental efforts to provide compassionate care to the increased number of patients and their families.

• Engineers and teams from nursing, critical care and maintenance worked endless hours to set up the new wards and ICUs.
• Critical care teams safely moved some ventilated patients to Kannigapuram to distribute the oxygen load between two campuses.
  • Dr. Ruth, an anesthesiologist and her team shifted a few patients. She says,

“Moving the patients was stressful but was smooth. The planning was well thought out. We were prepared with essential drugs and constantly kept an eye on the oxygen. In the end, we were tired, but it was a good kind of tired. We are glad the patients shifted are doing well.”

Dr. Ruth, an anaesthesiologist

• Nursing services and medical departments reorganised personnel across the wards and campuses, with people stepping into challenging new roles without hesitation.
• Enhancing testing to more than 600 samples for COVID every day.
• Staff actively support over 600 people isolating at home through a monitored home isolation program.

On a positive note, we are overwhelmed by the response of our friends and supporters all over the world in raising funds to support patient care as well as procure lifesaving equipment. Some companies have shown their care and concern by making grants in extremely short timescales.

We don’t know what will come next. But whatever does, we are confident that God is with us and helping us through generous hearts and hands of friends like you.

* 𝐔𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢 (meaning “Help” in Tamil) is a collaboration between Christian Medical College Vellore, Indian Medical Association (Vellore Chapter) VIT University Alumni Association and local NGOs SEBS-Vellore, The Hope House and Pisces Wellness and Health. https://udhavi.co.in/

Stay Safe!

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