Several District 6900 Clubs - including North Columbus, Thomasville, Bainsbridge, Dunwoody, East Cobb, North Cobb, Marietta Smyrna and Vinings Cumberland - are part of a Global Grant supporting a cancer hospital and doctor in Bangladesh. This hospital is now being used by the Bangladeshi Government to help tackle COVID-19. We are looking for ways we might be able to help. The following are email updates that tell the story ...

On March 31, our project contact, Patrick Biswas, reported ...

Resently Government Authority asked me to use our Cancer Hospital as Contractile Hospital as they do not have enough space in Government Hospitals at Rajshahi to tackle COVID-19. I agreed because during this National Crisis if we can do something for the people.

As today there is no special pathology facilities at Rajshahi to confirm Diagnosis of COVID-19 ,we have to send specimens to Dhaka -which takes 3-4 days for report. Hope within a week this problem will be solved. ICU facilities also very limited at Rajshahi only 1o ICU equipment are present in the Medical college & I have two in our hospital. Hope more will come to medical college ,soon from Dhaka

PPE is also not available at Rajshahi to protect Doctors Nurse in the hospital, I request Rotary, Hopefully I will get it soon.

As there is shortage of diagnosis facilities,we are not sure how many already have been affected. Therefore Army/Police requesting people to stay at home. Therefore road is empty /No automobile in the road. I also permuted my two Ambulance to be used for any emergency transportation

For the sake of humanity I can not refuse delivery people to come to my personal clinic. So we are also in Risk.

However, let us pray together because I believe only God can safe us from this world Crisis.

And on April 6 ...

Dear supporters of Rajshahi Cancer Hospital in Bangladesh:

Your direct and indirect support for the Rotary-run Rajshahi Cancer Hospital in Bangladesh made possible many of their humanitarian efforts in disease prevention and care. Now they are doing their best to meet the immediate needs in the current crisis situation - trying to save hundreds of day laborers and their families in the surrounding area from starvation as the country is placed in a lock-down.

I just received these photos sent by Dr. Patrick Biswas at the hospital showing Rotarians handing out relief packs containing

5 kg rice,1 kg of lentil, 2 kg of potatoes,1 packet of salt and a bar of soap. Each of these packs cost about $6.

The hospital itself is being used to accommodate people under quarantine. Lack of testing facilities makes it difficult to know the extent of the spread so far but the number of reported infections is increasing exponentially.

TRF recently approved the $65,000 Global Grant for fitting the hospital's mobile clinic vehicle with endoscopy equipment. However, everything is at a standstill right now.