Kavitha's passing was a shock to all of us. Nobody imagined that such a tragedy could occur in a hospital in the United States of America and in the 21st century. Yet here we are! According to UNICEF, in 2008 total number of maternal deaths worldwide was estimated to be 358,000 or approximately 1000 deaths each day. Just think- in the 2 minutes that it took you to read this section, a mother died in some corner of the globe from complications related to pregnancy or child birth. In 2008, India alone accounted for 63,000 maternal deaths which was the highest in the world. Majority of these deaths can be easily prevented through proper prenatal care and nutrition.
In Feb 2013, a family member visited the hospital unannounced to see the condition of the ventilator that we had donated last year. We are happy to report that the ventilator is in good working condition. Senior staff in the maternity ward told us that they handle approximately 300 deliveries each month of which 5% to 10% result in complications that require the use of the ventilator. They ventilator has been placed in one of the delivery rooms and can be quickly and easily wheeled around to any of the other rooms during an emergency. In the past few months, there have been no reported deaths. This is great news for us and strengths our belief that this was a very good project.
Portable Ventilator Donation to Government Hospital in Tirunelveli- June 2012
This charity aims to make every mother's life count. Every life that is saved would be a tribute to Kavitha's spirit. As a first step in this direction a Newport HT-70 portable ventilator was donated to the woman's ward of the government hospital in Maharajanagar, Tirunelveli. The donation was funded 100% by Kavitha's family. The equipment was placed into service on June 25th, 2012 and was used the very next day in saving a mother's life. A maintenance contract is in place with the equipment supplier to ensure that the unit is properly maintained and in service at all times. The family also has been invited to visit the hospital every 3 to 6months to inspect the equipment.
Going forward, the charity plans to donate similar ventilators to other government hospitals.The Indian government in recent years has heavily invested and set up a very elaborate and extensive health care system comprising of primary, secondary and tertiary centers all over India. These centers provide affordable care to the masses. However, many of the centers are in dire need of life saving equipment such as the HT-70 ventilator which can make the difference between life and death in emergency situations.
I plan to continue the effort and make similar donations of vital equipment to hospitals in Kavitha's memory. If you are interested to make a difference and contribute, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will providing updates on this page regarding future activities from time to time.
In 2009, donations were made via giveindia.org to two organizations- Sevalaya Mission and Mobile Creches for Working Mothers. Although I was not able to reach the target amount that I had set, I feel satisfied with the effort and I am very thankful to all those who took the time to make generous contributions.
1) Sevalaya Mission
It runs an orphanage in the village of Kasuva near Thirunninravur about 40 kms west of Chennai, India. Donors can sponsor education of a child (expenses such as books, uniforms, teacher's salary, educational aids etc) for a year. For more information about the mission, visit their website at- http://www.sevalaya.org.
Kavitha's website donated sufficient funds to support three children for the whole year.
2) Mobile Creches for Working Mothers
This unique charity organization that is based in New Delhi, India sets up makeshift creches at construction worksites. The idea is to provide an onsite daycare facility for children of poor construction workers. Without outside help, these children are generally neglected while their parents toil to make a living. Donors can sponsor stipends for daycare workers. Kavitha was a working mom and I feel that this charity fund would be fitting tribute to her spirit. This For more information about this organization, visit- http://www.mobilecreches.org.
Kavitha's website donated sufficent funds to provide stipend for six daycare workers.
