The Federation of Telugu Churches (FTC), the apex body of archbishops and bishops of churches and heads of major christian denominations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, has offered its willingness to place the hospitals, schools, training centres and church campuses at the disposal of the government for the purpose of creating quarantine facilities for the homeless and migrants.
In a letter addressed to the chief ministers of the two states, they say, these facilities can be availed by the concerned district officials with due permission of the local managements of the churches and institutions "without any hindrance to their regular work, daily routine and usual activities."
Insisting that these facilities, if placed at the disposal of the government, should be used "with care and handed back in good condition after necessary sanitising", the letter says, the offer is being made with a view to "augment the efforts of the state governments to contain COVID-19", as FTC considers this as part of the "dedication and service to the poor and the diseased as the disciples of Lord Jesus Christ."
The letter, signed by Fr Dr Anthoniraj Thumma and B Danam IAS (Retd), executive secretaries of FTC, refers the offer made by the Christian Coalition for Health (CCH), the national network of Christian health organisations, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to place at the disposal of the government about 1,000 hospitals with over 60,000 beds to fight the corona virus pandemic, suggesting FTC's is a followup action.
The letter says, in the two states, the hospital managements of the two states would provide health services, adding, "Our regional bodies like the Andhra Pradesh/ Telanga Social Service Forum in the state level, and the Church based NGOs and Diocesan Social Service Societies at the district level, are actively engaged in awareness building about COVID-19 and involved in rendering relief work to the marginalised."
The letter claims, "The managements of our local churches, schools, hostels, hospitals and Social Service Societies/ Centres are supporting the efforts made by district administrations by offering infrastructure facilities to provide shelter to them. Some of them are providing cooked food, dry rations, face masks and sanitary items to the needy."
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