Second wave of COVID-19 infection and public health infrastructure in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the most vulnerable communities in the world at great risk and exacerbated structural inequalities but has also inspired humanity, generosity and resourcefulness in our global fight against it. In waves, the pandemic has overwhelmed the healthcare systems of many countries but the debilitating impact of the second wave of infections in India has been second to none except the United States of America. With millions of people living in poverty without adequate access to quality healthcare, the impact of the pandemic was seen in the acute shortage of hospital beds and supplementary oxygen across India leading to an insurmountable loss of life.

ActionAid Association (India) -AAAI- has been helping vulnerable families survive the impact of the pandemic by providing them with material and monetary support. During the second wave, in order to save lives and strengthen public health systems, AAAI has been providing COVID- affected families, front line workers, and the local-level public health bodies with essential resources in the fight against COVID-19.

Ayaan Raza donated an oxygen concentrator that is saving thousands of lives

During the deadly second wave in India, Ayaan Raza, a Moreland Middle School student from San Jose, California who has been involved with ActionAid Association decided to find out how he can help. He reached out to Arun from Action Aid Association (India) through his parents and together they brain stormed on the best way to help the affected people. With the daily news about the shortage of Oxygen, Ayaan decided to buy and donate an Oxygen Concentrator to ActionAid Association (India). Ayaan dug through his entire savings and was able to fund the purchase of the Oxygen Concentrator which ActionAid India was able to hand over to Cheluvadipalya Ward Primary Health Center in Bangalore which will benefit more than 24,000 vulnerable people. Being a Primary Health Centre, it would be a crucial resource for people from marginalised communities who rely on an underserviced public health system.

ActionAid Association is grateful to Ayaan Raza for his timely and generous contribution.  We appreciate his thoughtfulness and resourcefulness at such a young age.