Dear Friend,
This is a long communication from Sankara Eye Foundation, USA and we would like to take this opportunity to update you on how the eye care activities of various Sankara and Partner Hospitals have been impacted by COVID19 and give you a clear picture of what is happening at the ‘ground level’.
India’s Lockdown
In India, as you would be aware, the PM Narendra Modi announced a complete lockdown for 3 weeks from March 24th, and this has now been extended to May 3rd. Since mid-March, both the central government and the state governments are working closely with each other – right down to the street, building, village level.
Strict social distancing has been implemented at all levels with high levels of quarantine, self-isolation and contact tracing to identify and isolate the spread. It has been heartening to see the compliance by citizens (by and large) and the collaborative working of the community with the police, gram panchayats and, of course, the medical community and facilities are all keeping the virus under control.
Overall, India is in the early stages of the battle with COVID19, and is working well so far in combating this virus with swift and decisive action on multiple fronts. While not everything has gone perfectly (migrant labor, protests, gatherings ), this response by India has been incredibly well co-ordinated.
The key question for everyone is -- how long will it take for lockdown to be lifted, operations to commence and normalcy to return – it is an open ended dilemma – and for now our assessment at least, from a planning perspective, is to assume that the shutdown will likely persist till the situation is brought to some control and that may likely take till end of June 2020.
COVID19 Impact on our Hospitals
Activities at our ten Sankara Eye Hospitals and nine Partner Eye Care Hospitals have been greatly impacted by COVID19 and below is an update on what is happening at the ground level in India.
We are pleased to inform that all Sankara and Partner Hospitals have responded uniformly at all locations with these major considerations in mind:
1. Safety First for our Doctors, Paramedics, Staff and our Paid and Community Patients
- As per government guidelines, effective March 15th, all our Sankara hospitals and Partner Hospitals have stopped all community outreach camps.
- Keeping in mind the safety of hospital staff and our paid patients, all paid services, other than emergency cases, have stopped since March 23rd.
- All non-essential staff are staying at home in compliance with social distancing directives.
- Administrative and senior staff are on ‘work from home’ basis and activities at the various hospitals are being coordinated by senior management and leadership teams using audio/ video conferencing and web applications and tools.
2. Compliance and Assistance to combat and contain COVID19
- Many of our partner hospitals located in remote areas have been requested by the state governments to be available as quarantine and isolation centers for local and rural populations.
- Besides providing quarantine and isolation centers, all our medical personnel and leaders are spreading the social distancing, wash hands, stay safe, service messages among the community
The Uncertain Future
In the current COVID19 situation, all our Sankara and Partner Hospitals are generating ZERO revenues from paid patients and performing ZERO free surgeries, thus no work for most staff.
This is likely to continue till end of June 2020, which means NO income and NO work for one whole quarter! Most of our eye hospitals are Trusts and non-profits hence their cash reserves are low to non-existent. Many partner hospitals are staring at an uncertain future and in the absence of any clear ‘financial support’ will have to shut down operations and/or take deep cuts to staff and trained medical personnel in order to survive.
A Lifeline to Preserve Continuity and Resources for Post-Shutdown:
Since 1998, SEF USA has achieved many milestones with generous support from the active and engaged donors and volunteers and this 20+ years of sustained work can be significantly impaired in just the coming 3-4 months.
After great deliberation, we at SEF, USA, feel the need to provide a lifeline to all Sankara and Partner hospitals, medical staff and workers to support them survive these tough times. With our help, they can come out of this lockdown and the service to the poor can be resumed at full speed, and our effort of the last 20+ years is preserved and can be built on. .
Support the Emergency Fund for Sankara and Partner Hospitals
We realize that many of you will be going through tough situations as well, so do extend your hand in support only if are able to. No amount is small – everything counts! With the good exchange rate of 1 US $ to Rs 75, your contribution will go a long way to help the medical staff and hospitals at this time of distress.
Good News to Double or Triple your Donation!:
• $50K Matching Funds:
We have matching funds for up to $50K from Anonymous Donor.
• Company Matching:
Many companies are doubling or tripling their matching funds during this crisis.
We greatly appreciate your assistance in spreading the word about the need to raise $500K Emergency Fund to keep the hospitals from shutting down.
Thank you and sincerely,
Sankara Eye Foundation Team
