‘A Tsunami of cases are coming in this wave and we can’t give up’
India now has surpassed Brazil with the second highest Covid-19 cases in the world. No expert is surprised by this. With a population of 1.4 billion people, supressing the pandemic always seemed like an insurmountable task, however it did seem to come somewhat under control for a time.
There are now approximately 13.68 million confirmed cases as a new variant spreads rapidly with over 171,000 reported deaths. There are many stories of people being turned away from hospitals as a direct result of the fragile healthcare system and rising numbers of cases. HOPE’s small hospital has stepped up once again and is treating Covid-19 patients with a 10 bed unit which is almost full in just a week.
The hospital has now opened a second 10 bed Covid ward. These are people from the streets and slums who would otherwise have no access to any healthcare, especially not in these times. Millions of people do not stand a chance, it is true that we are all in this together, it is also true that we are not all in the same boat.
The HOPE Foundation have been working with the street and slum communities in Kolkata since 1999. Founded by Cork native Maureen Forrest, HOPE have reached out and supported up to 2.8 million people living in dire poverty. The pandemic has turned into a nightmare for so many including the HOPE family both in Ireland and in Kolkata.
Speaking of her deep sadness at watching friends, colleagues and children enduring great suffering, Maureen (a volunteer CEO since the organisation was founded) says: “It is so very difficult to see our friends and colleagues struggle, risking their own lives to help those in great poverty and dire need right now. Their tireless dedication is both inspirational and heart breaking at the same time. We can only try our best here to fundraise to help them continue but we are now so limited as to what we can do.
“One can sometimes feel helpless in the face of such adversity but we remain positive that people will continue to give what they can to assist the hospital. People have been so generous in the past and we are very grateful because we rely so much on their generosity.”
NOT THE FIRST
The expansion of the HOPE hospital to test and treat Covid-19 patients during this pandemic is not the first emergency action the organisation has undertaken since the onset of the pandemic. When the world’s biggest lockdown began in India in March, HOPE immediately knew that a secondary crisis was going to arise very quickly - a hunger pandemic. HOPE set up emergency response teams in March and began feeding tens of thousands of children and their families. We did not know that another cruel twist of fate was about the hit the already devastated city - Super Cyclone Amphan, which left a trail of human misery in Bengal on the 16th May, 2020. The devastating effects of the pandemic and cyclone continue to have a profound impact, and HOPE continue to respond – now, once more with HOPE hospital.
Life was already difficult for the street and slum communities before Covid-19 changed the world. These communities predominantly consist of daily labourers, many have been without their daily wage for months now. Sadly, Kolkata is now a Covid-19 hotspot with many hospitals already at capacity. All at HOPE live in dread because they know that so many will not stand a chance and there will be great suffering. HOPE have launched an appeal to help the hospital treat patients and provide PPE.
Call 021-4292990 to donate or visit https://www. hopeshop. ie/covid-19-emergency-response/