Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

As COVID-19 had resurged in India since the beginning of April, AMDA Peace Clinic (APC) in Bodhgaya in the state of Bihar was forced to close temporarily from late April to early July. Accordingly, APC suspended its food distribution which required face-to-face interaction.

On the other hand, APC did what it could to continue offering maternal health care services to pregnant women in the locality. Instead of its regular in-person consultations, APC’s local staff responded to their inquiries by phone, and recommended them to seek treatment at nearby clinics as needed.

On 5 July, after the state-wide lockdown was lifted in stages, APC resumed its monthly food distribution and twice-monthly maternal health checkups. In particular, the food aid was much expected as many women had been facing financial difficulties.
 

  
"While the annual rice planting has started in the countryside of Bodhgaya, the economic recovery in the city area hasn’t caught on as tourism, the main industry, is yet to return. Stores are sparsely open due to the lack of customers,” an APC staff said.

“People who are willing to work but are unable to find jobs stay at home all day. The local economy seems much worse in urban areas as food prices hiked four times because of the rise in oil prices. Unlike the countryside, city dwellers also need to pay in cash when purchasing food items. For these reasons, it is fair to say that a lot of families need to rely on food aid from various organizations including ours.”

 

In light of such circumstances, APC is planning to carry on with its aid distribution efforts for the time being.