No doubt you are all aware that the global pandemic’s epicentre has shifted to India, leaving healthcare services struggling to deal with the influx of Covid patients. We can be proud that the Warwick Medical School stands shoulder to shoulder with our regional healthcare community at this time, and we offer our condolences to all of those in the UK who have lost loved ones in the areas affected. We wanted to let you know that the WMS Dean, Sudhesh Kumar, and our NHS Trust partners are working to ensure that equipment, resources and support get to the places that need it, working with partners in India and with the South Asian NHS leaders’ network to coordinate a response to the request for help. The strategy includes:

• Support and collation of requests from the Indian embassy for medicines and equipment;
• Peer to peer support by a buddy system via the embassy with hospitals in India;
• Directing charitable giving towards charities that can ensure aid reaches those who need it most;
• The creation and circulation of effective messages in India that worked in the UK, to reduce infection rates and improve vaccination take up.

While it is certainly not our place to promote charitable giving, we know that people in our community may wish to contribute to the relief effort but not know how to. We have been advised that the Red Cross in India is a good way to quickly get relief to those who need it most.

Through WMS expertise and networks, we will do all we can to support this regional effort for India, and our hearts go out to all those staff and families who have been affected by this crisis. If you have been affected, please access University wellbeing support services for support.

 

Best wishes
Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor