At RCEM we send our heartfelt support to our colleagues and peers in India who are facing extremely challenging circumstances on the frontline as the country continues to grapple with the catastrophic surge in coronavirus cases that has stretched the health care system to its limit. We offer our sincere condolences to Emergency Medicine staff who have lost family, friends, and colleagues and who are feeling anxious, concerned, and dejected about the situation and its impact on those closest to them.
We welcome the UK Government’s support to India, providing medical equipment and expertise to the Indian healthcare system as it deals with the worst global levels of infection rates. We have been in regular contact with our Emergency Medicine colleagues from the Society of Emergency Medicine in India to understand the challenges they are facing and to offer our support in any way we can.
Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “Our thoughts are with healthcare staff in India who are persevering through this exceptionally difficult time on the frontline. We are alarmed and disheartened to see daily reports of patients dying due to exponential increases in infection rates and shortages of essential medical equipment.
“The history of our NHS is so closely linked to the recruitment of Indian doctors and clinicians into the service, and this is especially the case in the specialty of Emergency Medicine. We are a diverse specialty and many of our members working in the UK are of Indian origin; we know this tragedy will affect many Emergency Medicine staff and Departments across the country.
“To our colleagues and peers in India and every single member who has family, relatives and friends in India, we are thinking of you.”
Below is a list of organisations who are fundraising to address the crisis in India:
• British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) India COVID Fund. https://www.gofundme.com/f/xrmh8c-bapio-india-covidfund?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer
• APNA NHS COVID19 India Appeal.
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiserdisplay/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=APNANHS&isTeam=true&utm_sou
rce=The%20British%20Medical%20Association&utm_medium=email&utm_ca
mpaign=12348608_Chaand%20ALL%20member%20-
%20Covid%20India%2030042021&dm_t=0,0,0,0,0
• British International Doctors Association’s Oxygen for India Emergency
Appeal https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bidabida?utm_source=The%20British%20Medical%20Association&utm_medium=
email&utm_campaign=12348608_Chaand%20ALL%20member%20-
%20Covid%20India%2030042021&dm_t=0,0,0,0,0
About the Royal College of Emergency Medicine
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is the single authoritative body for Emergency Medicine in the UK. Emergency Medicine is the medical specialty which provides doctors and consultants to A&E departments in the NHS in the UK and other healthcare systems across the world.
The Royal College works to ensure high quality care by setting and monitoring standards of care and providing expert guidance and advice on policy to relevant bodies on matters
relating to Emergency Medicine.
The Royal College has over 10,000 fellows and members, who are doctors and consultants in Emergency Departments working in the health services in England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland, and across the world.
