Patel brothers pledge to match donations up to £1m to help Covid patients in India

• Pooja Shrivastava
• 13 May, 2021

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By: Pooja Shrivastava

ASIAN businessmen Vijay and Bhikhu Patel have pledged to match donations received up to £1 million to help Covid patients in India.

The brothers, who made their fortune in the pharmaceuticals industry, are behind the Waymade Critical Care Unit at the Shree Krishna Hospital in Karamsad, Gujarat. Seeing the surge in covid cases as the deadly second wave continues to sweep across India, the businessmen are now raising funds to support the 950-bed hospital. It is run by the Shanta Foundation and treated more than 5,000 critical Covid-19 patients last year.

However, with Gujarat recording about 10,000 daily new covid cases, and a total of 1,22,847 active cases, the state’s medical system has been stretched to the limit.

Anand district, where the hospital is located, has seen a continuous rise in cases since April 24. Being the biggest hospital in the district, Shree Krishna Hospital does not have a single bed vacant as of Wednesday (12), according to a local report. However, despite the pressures, the hospital said it has not turned away a single critical Covid-19 patient.

The Patel brothers started their fundraising campaign to support the hospital so that it can provide more ICU and HDU (high dependency unit) beds with full ventilation support for people who need more intensive observation, treatment, and nursing care.

Funds will be used to acquire new oxygen generators on-site, create a facility for recovering and stable patients as well as 3-ply masks, hand rub, N95 masks, PPE kits for caregivers and staff.

Vijay and Bhikhu Patel, who are known for their philanthropic work through the Shanta Foundation, announced they will match donations received up to £1 million.

After immigrating to the UK in the 1960s, Vijay Patel completed his studies and ventured into the pharmacy business in 1975. Along with his brother who joined him later in 1984, they built a multi-million-pound empire. They founded Atnahs Pharma UK in 2013 which has now grown into a pharmaceutical giant in the country with a portfolio covering 18 key medicines operating in more than 130 markets.