The true tally of COVID-19 deaths in India following a devastating surge in recent months is likely close to 10 times higher than the country’s official count, marking the pandemic as one of the worst tragedies to ever hit the South Asian nation, according to a new study featured in The Wall Street Journal.
In response to the deadly second wave of infections currently impacting India and other developing nations, one Texas entrepreneur has mobilized to procure and retrofit CPAP and BiPAP machines (apparatus used to supply airway pressure to sleep apnea patients) into non-invasive ventilators.
“There are many lower- and middle-class families in India and around the world who are struggling to get emergency medical attention due to a scarcity of medical and life-support equipment,” says YPO member Sanjay Jupudi, Founder and President of Qentelli. “Once we learned about a cost-effective way to retrofit CPAP and BiPAP sleep apnea machines into non-invasive ventilators, we knew we had to take action. We also learned many people we know were happy to donate machines they had sitting unused at home, which we have been able to convert into non-invasive ventilators to help patients.”
Jupudi’s Dallas-based Qentelli is a software engineering and digital transformation company that accelerates enterprise innovation through DevOps, automation, agile transformation, artificial intelligence and deep learning. Founded in 2015, Qentelli brings best practices from software development and quality assurance to deliver higher quality applications at the speed leading enterprises demand.
Human-centered tech
Qentelli came into existence because of two technocrats who questioned and redefined every aspect of IT sweat shops. They understood that technology plays a very important role but, more importantly, that humans drive this technology. As the business grew, the intent and motive only got stronger.
“We believe that your company’s legacy can be defined, be rich and be everlasting, only when the communities participate in your growth story,” says Jupudi. “Afterall, what good is it when communities don’t realize the value of your efforts and cannot look for a better future?”
Jupudi’s software company tries to never miss an opportunity to help struggling communities irrespective of location. So, as India and other nations began facing the second wave of COVID-19, Jupudi, along with his childhood friend Dr. Jegatri Thayaparan, Qentelli’s Co-founder Prasanna Singaraju, and Qentelli employees, took action to provide support to India in this challenging time.
Defeating the pandemic with unity
To deliver assistance where it is needed most, they are coordinating efforts through the Indian Medical Association, Rotary Clubs, other nonprofit organizations and volunteers to deliver medical equipment to hospitals serving underprivileged COVID-19 patients in rural parts of India.
To date, the Qentelli team has converted more than 100 CPAP and BiPAP machines into non-invasive ventilators, and the company is shipping them to hospitals in rural parts of India that have been hit hardest.
“Our goal is to procure enough new and used machines to ship at least 1,000 repurposed devices,” says Jupudi. “We are asking the community to help in the form of either donating their unused sleep apnea machines and/or by donating money to help fund the purchase of other essential COVID supplies.”
— Sanjay Jupudi, Founder & President of Qentelli share
Each CPAP can be used for at least 10-15 people for a two-to-three-month period and costs Jupudi about USD50 each, which is a huge savings in comparison to the cost of a ventilator that costs thousands of dollars.
The Qentelli team has also procured additional items including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, pulse-oximeters, respirators and personal protective equipment by going directly to the manufacturers for donations, which has helped maximize the donations.
Creating a human-focused culture
Jupudi believes that business is a force for good and happiness is not about having a lot but rather about giving a lot. According to Jupudi, entrepreneurs and business leaders have good business acumen and know how to solve challenges, and that every nonprofit should have an entrepreneur or a business leader as part of their board and vice versa — every entrepreneur should serve on a board of a nonprofit. He realized that a lot can be achieved when these two forces combine — a nonprofit with the vision to help the communities and a business leader with ability to execute.
“The way I live my life is to create things, and this fits perfectly into that,” says Jupudi. “It doesn’t do anything to profit me or our business, but the world is suffering through the pandemic, and we can’t turn a blind eye and say, ‘Oh let them suffer.'”
To learn more about Qentelli’s efforts, visit their website.
