By Carolin George | Head, Community Health Division
Dear donors,
Greetings from Bangalore Baptist Hospital.
As Rose lovingly sings a lullaby to her baby to sleep, Harish casts his rod to fish after recovering from COVID, and Rani walks confidently to get vaccinated - it's you who have been instrumental in this transformation of them and many more. Thank you.
The second wave caught us off guard. By the end of March and April this year, we
were overwhelmed by the desperate calls for beds (both ICU and non-ICU), infections among the staff, oxygen shortage and extreme helplessness marked the second wave as the worst raging wave. But you responded like never before and stood with us. Thank you.
When our hospital, our clinics in urban slums and villages stood resolute
Rose woke up at 2 a.m. with labour pains. Along with her mother and husband, she steps into a hospital. Then another. Then another. Her pain was so intense she could barely breathe, but none would take her. Finally, Rose reached our hospital. She was in a severe condition. We took her into our care immediately. When Rose heard the first cry, the spark in her eyes shot back, and with folded hands, she said, "May God bless you."
When Manjunath met Sr. Jessy after moving him out of the ICU, he didn't say much, but a tear rolled down his face. It was Manjunath's second chance to breathe once again. For Sr Jessy, that celebratory occasion was among the happiest moments during several unforgettable weeks.
Our staff worked in ICU and COVID wards, fully protected with your support to purchase PPE kits. Oxygen concentrators used in our hospital and villages saved many lives, including the 49-year old Dinesh. Dinesh is from a small village in Bangalore rural, who turned COVID positive. Dinesh could not get a bed anywhere – not even at our hospital. When he became breathless, our healthcare workers rushed to his house, installed the oxygen concentrator, trained the family to operate, checked his temperature and saturation level daily and arranged doctor consultation through e-consultation. Dinesh, fully recovered, is back at his Agri-field, forever grateful to you.
COVID Relief materials to Government COVID Care Center
Bangalore Baptist Hospital provided the following COVID-Relief materials to Govt COVID Care Center run by the District Health Office -Bangalore Rural District.
Here are the number of people that you helped us reach and save. Behind each number, there's a story that unfolds. Sadly, we couldn't save some. That was the destructive power of COVID-19.
April to June 2021
Patients care for 1594
Patients received oxygen support: 1032
Patients on High Flow Oxygen: 645
Patients cared in ICU: 189
Patients supported with ventilators: 98
Patients supported with Non-invasive ventilation: 74
Patients recovered: 1297
Patients died due to COVID: 132
COVID tests conducted: 11425
COVID care in the slums
'A Trust Bank' - that's how our clinic in the slum stood resolute. Each day they feared the slum would get cordoned for COVID positive cases. "How would we survive?" - asked a mother of five children. There wasn't a single clinic or hospital in their area which was ready to treat any other complications. From referring COVID positive people to our hospital, creating awareness in the slum, treating an excruciating toothache to showering care and compassion to a 91-year old Rathnamma in the alley of the slum, our clinic worked during the entire lockdown for the people in the slum.
Together, we cared for 3670 people in the slums for various ailments, including COVID.
COVID care in the villages
Working alongside the District Administration of Bangalore Rural, we focused on caring for the identified complicated patients in home isolation. We formed a 'village micro plan' in 21 villages and Covid Response Teams from the community.
Covid response teams with a supporting health ecosystem managed:
Patients treated at our hospital in the village and other rural clinics: 5444 (for various ailments including COVID
Villages visited: 431
Home visits: 3024
Patients counselled: 3090
Total Covid patients monitored by home visits: 458
COVID 24-hour Helpline
Our 24-hour COVID Helpline was flooded with calls from our community ranging from availability of beds, e-consultation with doctors, and advice if the patient needs to be hospitalised to diets and counselling. Treated by our doctors and closely monitored by healthcare workers, it healed and touched many.
Harish effusively thanks the Helpline for saving him. "I was contemplating suicide because I was positive and thought there was no cure. When the BBH team heard this, they rushed home, counselled and encouraged me to call the Helpline. This Helpline has given me a new life," says Harish. As Harish casts his fishing rod into the pond in his village and gets ample fish, his face reflects not only the joy of his great catch but also the thought that he is alive today.
e-mobile clinic
Our e-mobile clinics helped the people in rural villages get healthcare when all the clinics and hospitals were only treating COVID patients. The village health assistants perform BP measurements, GRBs and connect patients to our doctors through video calls. Our healthcare workers distribute the medicines. Our e-mobile clinics work well for chronic diseases and act as an effective triaging system for hospital referrals.
Suresh, who suffered from spondylitis, endlessly talks about the e-mobile clinic, his video time with the doctor, and the exercises which helped him recover. He is now much at ease in working in his flower garden, which is the only source of income for his family.
14 villages set ready to run e-mobile clinics
1156 e-mobile health consultations carried out
Hunger, filled
As Radha spreads the dosa batter onto the pan, and Maya sifts the pulses through her fingers, there's a sudden glow that passes through their face, indicating the relief from hunger.
We distributed 400 grocery kits in urban slums and villages.
COVID-hurt jobs – a fresh relook
Sadly, the poor do not have the luxury of working from home, nor is their job role fall into the trendy 'Work-from-home' category. Most of them need to be at their workplace. So, when COVID stalled their work, many families tasted only hunger. Our financial support either helped them start afresh or spruce existing small businesses.
Mohan lets out a heroic laugh after his farm yielded prolific products. He gratefully cities his success to the loan we provided, "Your loan was a perfect green twist."
Provided financial support to 13 people to improve their business.
The vaccination drive
The vaccine was not within everyone's reach. Lack of awareness, not owning smartphones and lack of knowledge to register on the portal, vaccine shortage, missing documents posed challenges to the poor. So, we journeyed to the village with a vaccine drive.
Our drive helped Rani to take a bold step–blind to discouragement and myths. Her focus was to take the opportunity to protect herself and her community.
So far, we have vaccinated:
770 people in villages
735 people with disabilities
16,030 people at our hospital
Educating the community
We continue to educate the community to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ways to protect themselves. There's a natural tendency to let the guard off with the numbers flattening. Therefore, our efforts continue.
We have conducted 825 programs and covered 15,592 populations in urban & rural areas. Apart from that, we created 5 COVID related videos in the vernacular language and English.
Thank you, you came at the right time to save our people. Today, we look ahead to a future full of new and uncertain challenges. We remain committed to taking healthcare to the poor and connecting with them to wipe away their tears. People are at the centre of all our work. Not beneficiaries. Not cases, but people such as Harish, Rose, Radha, Maya, Mohan and Rani. Remembering each of them brings home the life-changing impact we can make when we work together and place our trust in God.
Gratefully,
Carolin
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