PRESS REALESE

International Development & Relief Foundation Raising Funds to Help with Emergency Relief in India

People waiting for vaccines

IDRF is supporting UNICEF to administer vaccines

Oxygen tanks

India is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis

Photo of Mahmood Qasim, CEO of IDRF

Mahmood Qasim, CEO of IDRF

Donations helping to increase capacity of medical facilities, distribution of vaccines, and the availability of food & medicine for people desperately in need

The situation in India is extremely dire. People are sitting on the sides of streets outside of hospitals in the hope of getting medical treatment.”
— IDRF?s Chief Executive Officer Mahmood Qasim

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, May 17, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- IDRF (International Development & Relief Foundation) is accepting donations in relief of the current humanitarian crisis in India caused by the rapid and devastating spread of the COVID-19 virus.

IDRF is already supporting relief efforts in the hardest-hit regions of India, including Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, where it is working to expand the capacity of more than 20 hospitals and medical centres. It is also supplying much-needed medical equipment and aid such as bilevel positive airway pressure (BIPAP) ventilation systems, additional beds, medicines, and food packages for use in hospitals as well as for families of COVID-19 patients.

In addition, IDRF is supporting UNICEF in increasing access to life-saving oxygen at hospitals, providing rapid COVID-19 testing machines in some of the worst affected districts, administering vaccines, and training health workers on testing and vaccination protocols.

As the pandemic rages across India, new cases of COVID-19 have recently exceeded 350,000 per day, and deaths related to the virus have topped 4,000 per day. Since the pandemic started, India has reported 24 million cases of COVID-19, and more than 260,000 deaths from the virus. In some cases, those stricken with COVID-19 have also contracted mucormycosis, also known as ?Black Fungus,? which is a rare but potentially fatal infection that can cause blackening over the nose, loss of sight, chest pain, breathing difficulties, and coughing blood.

?The situation in India is extremely dire,? says Mahmood Qasim, CEO of IDRF. ?People are sitting on the sides of streets outside of hospitals in the hope of getting medical treatment. And families are struggling to survive because their breadwinners are the ones working and getting infected with COVID-19.?

Donations to help alleviate the suffering in India caused by the spread of COVID-19 can be made on the IDRF website at: https://idrf.ca/project/india-covid-relief/. Canadian tax receipts will be issued for all donations.

About IDRF:

IDRF is a Canadian registered charitable organization dedicated to empowering disadvantaged people in Canada and around the world. Founded in 1984, IDRF has an enviable reputation as one of Canada?s best-run charities and has been recognized by third-party organizations such as the Financial Post and MoneySense for its effectiveness, efficiency, and results. Find out more about IDRF's work in its Annual Report, and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Media contact:
Zeina Osman, Director of Major Gifts and External Relations, IDRF
Tel: 416-497-0818 (# 504) or Cell: 613-304-2568
zosman@idrf.ca

Zeina Osman
IDRF
+1 416-497-0818 ext. 504
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