Caritas India donates ICU ventilators for Kerala's COVID-19 fight

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A dozen ICU ventilators were donated to six major hospitals in the state by Caritas India, in its attempts to help the state tackle COVID-19.

The ICU ventilators each amounting to Rs 12 lakh were donated to the government medical colleges of Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Kollam, Kottayam, and Kozhikode. One ICU ventilator was donated to the General Hospital, Kochi.

Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and Fr Paul Moonjely, executive director of Caritas India handed over the ICU ventilators to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. 

The initiative is part of the charitable organisation's efforts to combat the pandemic which began during the first wave of COVID-19. Caritas India is the charitable social development agency of the Catholic Church of India.

"Ever since the start of the pandemic, the organisation has been actively involved in tackling the spread of Covid. The second wave saw an enhanced effort to move into life-saving measures and this is in continuation with its mission. There have been cases when enough ICU ventilators weren't available in the hospitals, considering the increase of the critically ill. The ICU ventilators were donated in an attempt to address this and ensure that no life is lost due to any eventualities," says Abeesh Antony, Caritas India state in charge. 

The first wave of COVID-19 saw the organisation chipping in with Covid control measures that included the supply of protective gears such as PPE kits, handwash, masks, face shield, and so on. The second wave saw the organisation amplifying its efforts and moving into life-saving mode.

"The major intervention was done during the second wave. SLTCs were set up by the organisation in 7 hospitals in areas where rampant COVID spread was observed," said Abeesh. Free treatment, medicine and food was given to the patients here. As many as 10,000 Covid patients and 8000 non-Covid patients availed the service. 

Currently, a campaign to vaccinate migrant labourers in the state is also going on. The first phase of the campaign held in Kochi received good response from migrant labourers. 

In addition Caritas India had supplied medical kits comprising of sanitiser, handwash, masks, thermometer, pulse oximeter, vaporiser and so on were supplied to 2000 COVID patients and distributed Covid Community Medical kits in 100 villages through partner dioceses.

As many as 32 Oxygen concentrators and 16 Oxygen cylinders were supplied to the needy when the pandemic had peaked in Kerala