The Need

Some public hospitals in remote locations lack the basic equipment to save lives.  A mother was once seen operating an Ambu bag—a hand-held device used to provide short-term ventilation to patients who are having trouble breathing—for her baby. Ambu bags are meant to provide temporary support until the patient can be put on a ventilator. When the mother was asked how long she had been providing breathing support for her baby by squeezing the bag every few seconds, the mother said “7 days continuously". The baby would have died if the bag was not squeezed for even a minute. There was a ventilator in the hospital, but it was new and had not been set up yet. Often, there are not enough ventilators for patients in need or the equipment is under repair and unavailable for use. Ekam works constantly to provide efficient care to patients in financial need, who cannot afford to pay for expensive services.

Success Stories

Stories from the Kondgoan SNCU:
In partnership with UNICEF and the Department of Health and Family Welfare in Chhattisgarh Ekam Foundation created a new SNCU unit in Kondgaon after discovering that the infant mortality rate there was much higher than the state average.