The Association of Surgeons of India (ASI) on April 9 said it has raised ₹1 crore towards purchase of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for health-care workers and the PM CARES fund.
ASI president P.Raghu Ram said various State chapters of the Association and some its sections, including Association of Breast Surgeons of India, Association of Colon and Rectal Surgeons of India and Indian Association of Endocrine Surgeons (which are part of the parent body - ASI) have together contributed ₹77 lakh to the Central ASI fund. The fund is being utilised solely towards bulk purchase of PPE.
The ASI has placed the order to procure the PPE from a Central government-approved, Bengaluru-based manufacturer with an established track record, he said in a release.
Within 10 days, the PPE sets would be delivered to the representatives of ASI in every State, which in turn will be “hand delivered” to those health-care workers in the frontline, who need them the most, Mr. Ram said.
The Delhi Chapter of ASI has in the past three days spent ₹20 lakh – ₹18.5 lakh towards procuring PPE and ₹1.5 lakh towards the much-needed N95 masks which are desperately needed for clinicians and health-care workers working in ICUs, treating coronavirus (COVID-19) positive patients. The ₹20 lakh expenditure is part of the ₹93 lakh raised, the release said.
Further, the Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI), which is a section of Association of Surgeons of India, has contributed ₹20 lakh to PM CARES fund, it said.
In addition to his personal contribution of ₹2 lakh and a few other members, the total contribution to PM CARES fund from surgeons in ASI is ₹23 lakh, he added. Mr. Ram also said he has been featured in three social media clips made by UNICEF in partnership with the Central government to create awareness and spread hope in the fight against COVID-19.