IKEA calls organisations to increase relief support for India, donates EUR3 million

IKEA Foundation said on Wednesday that it has donated EUR3 million in unrestricted funding to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people, to provide primary healthcare and distribute medical relief items in the wake of surge in COVID-19 cases in India.

An IKEA release said that the pandemic is causing unprecedented healthcare challenges in India and the donation will help MSF to scale up and continue to provide primary healthcare and distribute medical relief items to the people in the country.

The release said IKEA Foundation hopes more funders will follow to save lives and meet the urgent health needs of Indian people.

Stephen Cornish, General Director of MSF Switzerland, said the second wave of COVID-19 in India has been "devastating, with a catastrophic rise in the numbers of new infections in recent weeks".

"MSF has mobilized staff --including doctors, nurses, anesthesia technicians, and psychologists-- and is in the process of recruiting and sending additional teams with COVID-19 experience to provide care for people who are affected, including those who require hospitalization and oxygen therapy. One of the ways MSF teams are responding is by caring for patients in two units within a large, 2,000-bed field hospital operated in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai," he said.

"We want to thank the IKEA Foundation for this new unrestricted donation for our projects in India, which allows us to keep offering medical humanitarian care for the most vulnerable people, as well as to ensure the protection of front-line healthcare workers," he added.

Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation said that they stand with people of India. "In India, where the IKEA Foundation has its roots, we see the horrific impact and the tragedy of the pandemic unfolding every single day. We stand with the people of India and have pledged immediate support so that they can emerge from this crisis. We all need to come together and do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 and support ongoing life-saving medical activities in India. Today, I call on the world's governments, businesses and philanthropies to join us and increase the relief support for the people of India," Heggenes said.

The release said that IKEA Foundation has supported MSF for many years with funding of more than EUR40 million and believes in the "incredible work they do in extremely challenging and often dangerous situations".

( With inputs from ANI )