CORONA VIRUS AND YAZD, IRAN – URGENT help needed

 Dear All,

You must have seen Homi Gandhi’s email appeal, if not it is below my letter for your reference. I am working closely with him to help all Iranians. Since this last week the situation at Yazd, Iran is critical and many are affected by the Coronavirus.

We at Parzor have been in touch with Mr. Sepanta Niknam, President Yazd Zarthusti Association and Council Member of Yazd. They are in desperate need of help and medicines. Due to Sanctions, people are dying and we need to come together and work to help the Iranians as much as we can. Since you may be able to help I am giving details below.

If you can contribute money by wire transfer in Indian rupees to Parzor for medicines of which we need 10,000 Tamiflu, 12,000 Kaletra and Injection of Actimera for 100 people, protective gear etc., please send your donation as per the details given below.

Vijaya Bank Details for Indian Rupee donations

(This is superseded now, please read below)

Bank Name:-                   Vijaya Bank

Account Name:                Parzor Foundation

Account No:-                   xxxxxxxxxx

IFSC Code:-                     xxxxxxxxxx

Address:-                          NO D 65, Hauz Khas Market,

Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016

Type of Account :-           Saving Account

Phone No. :-                     011-26963242/ 26969614/ 9312941107

Customer ID No.:-            xxxxxxxx

MICR No:                         xxxxxxxx

INR cheques to “Parzor Foundation” should be sent to the following address:-

Dr. Shernaz Cama/ Dr. Niloufer Shroff

Parzor Foundation,

F-17, Hauz Khas Enclave,

New Delhi-110016

India

T: 011 26513560/ 41626248

However if you are only sending in foreign exchange eg: Australian/ US dollars/ GBP, please send it to WZO as per the instructions to be given by Dinshaw Tamboly. WZO should get the foreign donation from you with a specific note that it is for humanitarian assistance to Yazd Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences Hospital.

This is because while Parzor has a FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) we are a research organization and not a Registered Charity. Hence all donations to the FCRA account are meant only for projects in India.

It has been very difficult and stressful to work at this speed but even this morning one more Zarthusthi has died in the hospital. We are all under lockdown in Delhi and cannot move out. Our own country needs the drugs, as does all of Europe; hence I have had to reach out to very special people for help. It is very good of Homi Gandhi and Dinshaw Tamboly to offer help but our greatest thanks should go to Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla for his donation and Dr. Yusuf Hamied, Chairman Cipla, London, who without knowing me personally has put his Indian staff at our disposal through Karan Bilimoria.

These medicines are NOT available for sale and I am only getting them because of Dr. Yusuf Hamied’s understanding of the crisis in Iran.

Our community must realize that they are very expensive eg: for 200 tablets  of Tamiflu we have already paid Rs. 98,000/- + tax. We need 10,000 tablets for Yazd and 12,000 of Kaletra (which are so far not available and will cost around the same amount if not more). This will itself come to around Rs. 20 lakhs. The injections Actimera 200, which are saving lives, are not available in India – we are trying to source them in Switzerland for 100 critical patients at Yazd.

Dr. Poonawalla’s kind donation of Rs. 10 lakhs has gone to purchase the urgent requirement of 2 ventilators which are being shipped out to me in Delhi for dispatch to Iran tomorrow. We are hoping to get 50 Covid 19 testing sets directly from Canada to Iran from his second kind donation of Rs. 10 lakhs. The Iranians and all humanitarians are extremely indebted to him.

We have also put together Rs. 3 lakhs from our own funds, for some of the protective gear, which only Dr. Poonawalla’s people have been able to source for us. Much more gear is required but we just do not have the funds.

All this needs coordination across the world and difficult Customs clearance in Delhi and Tehran. I have been doing this nonstop and it is emotionally and physically draining. If anyone else can help, I will be grateful.

Thanks and warm regards,

Shernaz Cama

Dear all,
We are grateful for the community response received for support to Iran. While Parzor has been able to mobilize some funds in our account and sent the first consignment of medicines, given the nature of our organisation we cannot accept any more money into the Parzor Foundation account. 
We request everyone to not transfer any money to the Parzor Foundation account. Should you like to donate funds towards the purchase of medicines/ medical equipment for Iran please we will request you to send the money directly to the medical supplier. KINDLY NOTE THAT YOU MUST SEND US AN EMAIL WITH THE DETAILS OF THE DONATION MADE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO REGULATE THE FUNDS AND CORRESPONDING MEDICINE BOUGHT. 
The details for the bank transfer are as below:
Lucknow Medical Agencies Lajpat Nagar 
Bank name Union Bank Of India Lajpat nagar    
A/c no 349401010928578 
Ifsc code UBIN0534943
Mobile: +91 98110 09573
Mail Id: lucknowmedicalln@gmail.com (Rajiv Kumar)
Thanks and warm regards,
Shernaz Cama

Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America

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Fellow Zarathushtis,

Iranians have been widely affected by the current Pandemic Coronavirus.

The Coronavirus has also affected our small community in Yazd and Tehran. More than 40 Zoroastrians are affected by this pandemic. Available information is incomplete because there are no collective data for Zoroastrians from all over the country. Information available from Sepanta Niknam, Chairman-Yazd Zoroastrian Association and Member-Yazd City council, and Mobed Mehraban Firouzgary are below

— 4 deaths in Yazd (3 men & 1 woman) & 1 in Tehran.
— 8 are in ICU in Yazd,
— 11 in infectious ward in Yazd

There is a long list of medicines and medical supplies needed by Iranians; list sent to and published by United Nations agencies (sent by Iranian Foreign Minister), and which is forwarded to me by Dr. Ekhtiyari, Zoroastrian member of Majlis, via Mobed Firouzgary.

Sepanta Niknam has requested the following medicines and supplies.
“Our urgent needs for hospitals and preventive care teams are:
1. Drugs for treatment of Covid-19: Oseltamivir (tamiflu) and kaletra (lopinavir)
2. Laboratory kits for detection of Covid 19
3. Adult ventilator for intensive care
4. Protection personal kits and Masks”

And Sepanta has also requested whether Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla or any medical charity can help in securing and transporting the above supplies to Yazd and Tehran.

We call upon all Zoroastrians of the world to help our community members and people of Iran to come through this pandemic.

HAMA ZOR! HAMA ASHO BADE!
MAY WE ALL BE UNITED IN STRENGTH IN RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Homi D Gandhi
President, FEZANA

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