By: Stephen A. Willhite
Photos by: Manasa Garimella
India is one of the world's most populous countries, located on the largest continent in the world. Matching its burgeoning population and immense size is the enormous task of providing life-saving intensive care units (ICUs) that are both adequately staffed and equipped.
The country's intensive care spaces face a number of shortages, where there are only 2.3 ICU beds for every 100,000 and only 4500 specially trained medical professionals for a population with more than 1.4 billion people and counting.
India has long been in need to scale its ICU facilities and trained personnel. Plus, the delivery of critical care challenges is difficult, due to complexities regarding access to care, diversity of cultures, systems, and economic disparities.
Recognizing this dire situation, Dr. Satya Garimella, MID, FACC, formed the nonprofit organization CPR during the height of the global COVID pandemic when he saw the devastating images emerging from India and the senseless loss of lives that were amplified due to the complexities. He is joined by healthcare entrepreneurs Krishna Kottapalli and Udai Kumar.
CPR, in this case, is more than a lifesaving procedure; the acronym stands for Compassionate Patient Response (initially it stood for Compassionate Pandemic Response). Its overall mission is to make a significant impact by providing critical care to those who cannot afford or access it. Garimella, Kottapalli and Kumar's goal is to radically expand the reach of life-saving care in their home country; donations raised go directly toward setting up intensive care units (ICUs) that serve Indias underprivileged. CPR stands on the pillars of compassion, diligence, integrity, and sustainability.
"Setting up an ICU in a needy location mirrors an Oasis in a desert, said company owners during a recent interview. "It strongly reinforces the healthcare ecosystem and attracts several local resources over time and empowers healthcare infrastructure. We at CPR strongly believe in infrastructure development for long-term clinical benefits. Locations can include rural, semi-urban, or the urban poor."
"Our first project was built in a premier institute called AIMS, Bibinagar, outside the perimeter of a city capable of serving a large number of surrounding villages. It was the state-of-the-art ICU built in a mere 16 weeks and already provided care to more than 600 patients."
"Our second project was a true social experiment to see the power of a critical care unit when handed over to a devoted, ethical team of physicians in a place where there is no ICU care. It was set up in a semi-rural location in Vikarabad, Telangana. It boosted our vision and immediately enriched the local health and provided hope and already took care of more than 300 patients in a short span. A local villager will not succumb to a snake bite because of this ICU."
"Our third project enriched an established unit by providing high-end sophisticated neonatal equipment serving the urban poor and rural locations, being a premier healthcare provider run by highly dedicated well-trained multi-specialists. Our subsequent two projects are focused on the Urban poor."
Because the trio believes in full transparency, they share every step of their process — in addition to providing thorough feedback — with stakeholders. To that end, the cost for hospitals to establish a critical care facility ranges from 50,000 to $500,000 for a 10-bed ICU.
For the vast majority of Indians, the prices charged by hospitals that provide life-saving interventions are exorbitant. But the right to life is a fundamental one, believes CPR's founders.
"Our actions are motivated by this," said ICU owners. "We concentrate on the element of healthcare that gives every human being the right to have a fighting chance through life-saving measures. This is what critical care entails - life-saving rather than life-prolonging interventions. For Indians who live in rural and semi-urban areas, we aim to enhance accessibility to critical care facilities while reducing or writing off expenses. In the end, our goa e of prove we ding with the means to proactively address future healthcare crises through our efforts and those of others working in the same field.”
"Over the last two years, CPR has funded a total of five projects adding around 50 to 60 ICU beds by donating critical care equipment worth close to a million dollars."
"We were also fortunate to work with pediatric facilities, and our third project focused on enriching a neonatal unit. We see long-term consequences in helping needy children when they are vulnerable. It provides hope to the entire family. As of now, we are in the process of building a four-bed NICU in Osmanabad, a highly underserved healthcare location in Maharashtra."
To learn more, or to donate, visit http://cpricucare.org/
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