The Executive Committee of AMCHAM’s Hyderabad Chapter met on May 7th virtually to discuss the way forward and assess how members were involved in the current situation. Mr. Ramesh Kaza updated the committee on how United Way Hyderabad was working to open Covid Care Centers. A 25 bed center has already opened in Madhapur and another 50 bed center would be opened in Kukatpally. The 25 bed center would be an isolation center for those that tested positive, with mild symptoms. This was being done with the support of the Society of Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC) and AMCHAM, in addition to other associations. The interested members were requested to connect and help in the L2 Covid Care Centers. The possibility of a vaccination drive for all AMCHAM member companies, their employees and families was also discussed. Members were also updated on the progress of the 9th Healthcare Conference.

AMCHAM’s Karnataka Chapter hosted a catch up call on May 5th. The focus of the meeting was to discuss the changing scenario of COVID-19 in Karnataka and best practices adopted by member companies for providing assistance for their employees and the larger community. Similar virtual meetings would be repeated every 2-3 weeks until the situation in Bengaluru normalizes. The meeting was attended by Executive Committee members.

On May 5th, AMCHAM’s COVID-19 Disaster Management Task Force organized a COVID information session and interaction with Dr. Gurdeep Singh Sethi to help everyone navigate the challenging situation as conflicting while stressful information on COVID is all around us. Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM welcomed participants and emphasized with the strain on the Indian healthcare system, preventative care for COVID and home care were very importance. Mr. Salil Gupte, Chairman, AMCHAM and President, Boeing India, in his opening remarks, talked about the unprecedented difficult time everyone has faced personally and encouraged companies, families and individuals to take steps to mitigate COVID spread whenever possible. Mr. Ankur Malhotra, Chairman – COVID-19 Disaster Management Task Force, AMCHAM and Head, Corporate Affairs & CSR, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India, said we should look at what actions to take now and in the future as the virus will be around for a while. Mr. William Blair, Co-Chairman for Northern Region – COVID-19 Disaster Management Task Force, AMCHAM and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India, shared a brief background for the webinar and touched upon the outpouring of support from all over the world to India. He emphasized the importance of the health and welfare of employees and introduced Dr. Sethi.

The guest speaker, Dr. Gurdeep Singh Sethi, Founder, Millennium Cancer Center in New Delhi, over the last year has focused on at home care for COVID patients through telemedicine. He gave an extensive presentation on COVID protocol which can be viewed HERE and shared a COVID treatment protocol which can be viewed HERE. He encouraged people to be vigilant, mask up, not to panic and get vaccinated. He also emphasized the need to consult a doctor before starting any medication. In the audience Q&A portion, Dr. Sethi fielded questions on vaccine efficacy, masking, medications often prescribed to COVID patients and many others.

Regional Co-Chairmen for the COVID-19 Disaster Management Task Force, Mr. Gulshan Kumar Sachdev, Managing Director, Quaker Hougton Chemical (Eastern Region), Mr. Ravi Bhatkal, Managing Director, Cookson India, MacDermid Performance Solutions (Tamil Nadu Chapter) and Mr. Chandrakant Nayak, CEO & Country President, Dow India (Western Region) attended. The session concluded with a vote of thanks from AMCHAM and was well received with more than 700 participants.

AMCHAM’s COVID-19 Disaster Management Task Force members held a meeting on May 3rd under the leadership of Mr. Ankur Malhotra, Chairman – COVID-19 Disaster Management Task Force, AMCHAM and Head, Corporate Affairs & CSR, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India. The following Regional Co-Chairmen for the task force were present:

• Mr. Gulshan Kumar Sachdev,
• Managing Director, Quaker Chemical (Eastern Region)
• Mr. Parag Wadhawan, Managing Director, Collins Aerospace India (Karnataka)
• Mr. William Blair, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India (Northern Region)
• Dr. Ravi M. Bhatkal, Managing Director, Cookson India, MacDermid Performance Solutions (Tamil Nadu)
• Mr. Chandrakant Nayak, CEO & Country President, Dow India (Western Region)

Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM gave opening remarks and summarized recent interactions that AMCHAM has had with NITI Aayog, the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor and Invest India and the respective projects were discussed. Members shared their experiences on procuring urgent equipment required in India and their experiences with NGO partners. It was decided, in order to support members and their internal employees and families, for the task force to set up a resource hub to share company needs for equipment, sourcing opportunities, etc. This would be managed by AMCHAM’s Regional Directors:

• Eastern Region, Ms. Amada Kidwai amada@amchamindia.com
• Karnataka Chapter, Ms. Payal Satish amchambangalore@amchamindia.com
• Northern Region, Ms. Valerie Swope valerie@amchamindia.com (temporarily)
• Tamil Nadu, Mr. Aubrey Daniels aubrey@amchamindia.com
• Hyderabad Chapter, Sandya Rodrigues sandya@amchamindia.com
• Western Region, Ms. Surabhi Wahal mumbai@amchamindia.com

The resource hub would also facilitate knowledge sharing, recommendations from members, best practices, health information, etc. The meeting was off the record and attended by more than 30 members.