The United States Can and Should Do More in India
Many of us, members of the Indian Diaspora, watch in horror as the COVID has rampaged our families in India. Our loved ones are dying, waiting for oxygen outside the hospitals. Lack of pulse oximeters, ambulances, and other basic medical supplies have caused healthcare facilities to shut down. The situation in rural areas where 66% of the country's 1.4 billion population lives is grave. What’s worse, a much more catastrophic third wave is anticipated to hit soon.
A robust global collaboration to support India’s ability to respond and get ahead of the pandemic is in our self-interest. The B.1.617 variant has already spread to 18 countries, including the United States, and the continued emergence of newer variants is a global threat. Each day of delay is costing us 3500 lives. Each hour is wiping out 120 lives. Experts predict the ground situation is five to ten times worse. Besides backing the IP waiver, the Biden Administration announced immediate assistance with oxygen concentrators, vaccines, and additional supplies. This help is appreciated but is far from enough Negotiations with WTO (World Trade Organization) will consume time. Twenty million doses of vaccines will only vaccinate 0.7% of the population, and 1100 oxygen cylinders will support less than one-third of the current official everyday death count. Besides mass vaccination and medical supplies, India will need a massive health care workforce, rapid construction of field hospitals, 340,000 beds, and more than 700,000 ventilators.
The Biden Administration must do three basic things: 1. Continue to use global leverage to accelerate funding and transfer of medical supplies to India 2. Immediately send trained personnel to help on the ground for medical assistance as well as public health infrastructure development. 3. Demand transparency in data and reporting of Covid-19 cases, deaths, breakthrough infections, and variants
The first action involves the United States leveraging the $ 3.5 billion it has contributed to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and malaria, which can be directed towards resources to address the surge for treatment, diagnostics, surveillance, and PPE to protect health workers. India and neighboring countries should be prioritized. Additionally, as the largest voting bloc with veto power, the United States must advocate for the World Bank to expedite disbursements of allocated funds for India.
Second, along with the immediate delivery of essential supplies, the capacity for supporting basic health infrastructure along with the thousands of newly built hospital beds will be critical. Physicians themselves are dying due to lack of oxygen, which is only exacerbating staff shortages. As our immunization efforts shift from mass vaccination sites to increasing access in pharmacies and doctors’ offices, the national guard and the thousands of medical reserve corps personnel should be mobilized to assist on the ground.
Third, there have been concerning conflicting reports about the true numbers of cases, deaths, and breakthrough infections- the United States has incredible influence, and it is in the world’s best interests to have transparency around the impact of the virus in India. Understanding rates of infection, patterns of variant spread as well as breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals can give the world more data to combat future surges and prepare for the next pandemic.
Our experience with the HIV/AIDS pandemic and earlier surges of COVID-19 has taught us the value of global cooperation and solidarity in pandemic containment. The US and multilateral aids must collaborate through both policy changes and rapid scale-up of urgent equipment and personnel on the field. The current response to humanitarian and healthcare crises in India is not enough and will result in preventable loss of lives – each number has a family like ours behind it.
Aakriti Pandita, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado. She practices infectious diseases, and her research is focused on COVID-19 and health disparities.
Vineeta Gupta, MD, JD, LL.M is a global health expert and passionate advocate for health equity and south-north partnerships. She is Director, Secretariat, ACTION Global Health Advocacy Partnership.
Kavita K. Patel, MD, MS, is a practicing physician and a former Director of Policy in the Obama Administration.
