Published on: March 30, 2020

Since the outbreak, we at Pallium India have prioritized responding to this pandemic over all other activities.

Our home care teams along with 12 Social Workers (some of whom worked with us years ago and have now stepped forward in an amazing show of solidarity) are triaging all our existing 1350 unique patients, who make up the most vulnerable cohort in this crisis – the ailing, the alone, the elderly and the impoverished.

Teams were deployed to deliver rations and medicines for the forthcoming weeks to all our beneficiaries. At the cusp of implementation, the nation was put under a 3-week lockdown. We didn’t have the luxury of stopping work; we pivoted and stepped it up.

In the coming days, we will leverage technology to monitor all of them, and take on others who need our care. We are setting up a helpline for clinical and emotional support. Teams are on standby to reach those who may require on-site symptom control or need to be brought into our facility for appropriate end of life care. This is for our patients who already have advanced serious illnesses and may not be able to access healthcare facilities at this time due to the lockdown.

We commit ourselves to the highest standards of safety while delivering care.

A task force comprising of two doctors, a public health specialist, a community outreach coordinator, a physiotherapist, a psychologist and a tech expert are leading the charge from within our organisation. Guided and advised by experts, they are keeping up with the latest advisories, guidelines and information – distilling what is most relevant, to create appropriate strategies and rapidly implement them.

Our Chairman is part of an advisory group for the government of Kerala, and is constantly in touch with them.

We’re documenting our processes and systems to let others readily replicate. Most importantly, we’re planning beyond prevention – to management and bereavement.

No one accurately knows how bad this will get, but we do know that Pallium India is committed to providing optimum support to communities, care providers, the healthcare system and government.

We are building on our expertise and network and are privileged to have a dedicated group of health care workers who, in spite of much anxiety about their own families, are stepping forward, showing up and carrying on.

In the face of unprecedented challenges, lack of timely resources can be crippling. Any contribution you make to our COVID-19 response fund will help us do more and do better.

For people within India, please use these bank account details:

Account Name: Pallium India Trust
Bank Name: Canara Bank
Account Number: 5114101001046
IFS Code: CNRB0005114
Branch: Perunthanni, Thiruvananthapuram

For Overseas donations, please use this account:

Account Name: Pallium India Trust
Bank Name: Dhanalakshmi Bank
Account Number: 003700900000036
Branch: Vazhuthacaud
IFS Code: DLXB0000037
Swift Code: DLXBINBBXXX

You can also contribute on – https://palliumindia.org/donate/