THE Lotus Trust, charity wing of Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire, has raised £140,000 to help Covid victims in India.
Using the amount, the trust has developed a Covid nursing care centre with an initial capacity of 250 beds, potential to increase to 1,000 beds, by working with the ISKCON Temple in Delhi.
It will provide Covid care facilities free of cost for around 2,500-5,000 patients over an initial three-month period, a statement from the trust said.
Lotus Trust's Covid nursing care centre
India on Tuesday (18) reported 263,533 new Covid-19 infections, while deaths from Covid-19 rose by a record 4,329. Patients are dying without oxygen amid Delhi surge with one death every 5 minutes, reports said.
"To achieve this enormous help at this scale and sustain the care for 3 months, will cost £1.85 million. With donations so far received, they have already started treating patients in hundreds of beds and the daily cooking and distribution of 30,000 meals," said Dr Sanjiv Agarwal a consultant Urologist at Imperial College and director of the Lotus Trust.
“The Lotus Trust is constantly ensuring that 100 per cent of the donations are making a difference and I am constantly in touch with those providing this service to make sure that it reaching those who need it most”
Food preparation at the centre
The charity also distributed free meals to individuals and families who were not able to cook or afford food due to the current crisis. It targets a distribution of roughly 2.7m meals in three months, the statement added.
According to the charity, one patient, for 1 day, can be fed for as little as £11, and 100 hot meals can be provided for a donation of just £55.
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A protestor is detained by the police during a demonstration against the proposed site of the new Chinese Embassy, outside Royal Mint Court, in London. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso. 
