Dr. Rajeev Fernando

Dr. Rajeev Fernando has been recognized as one of “America’s Top Doctors in New York” for the specialty of Infectious Disease since 2014. Rajeev is the founder/CEO of the global charityCHIRAJ and below is his message for 2022.

Well into the second year of our global pandemic, 2021 has brought agonizing pain to many around the world. Personally, I’ve had the honor of taking care of the most critical patients in the United States by virtue of working on FEMA missions across the country. However, it’s my team’s work at CHIRAJ which has made me proud.

In 2020, I became the first American Doctor to go to Wuhan, China to investigate this ‘novel respiratory virus’ later to be called SARS-Covi 2. We predicted the second wave would be more severe. Within days of the new delta variant causing chaos, I was on the ground in India with the charity forming an acute inpatient facility to treat patients with COVID-19. Unfortunately, there were many cases where patients had to bribe to get a hospital bed and unfortunately died waiting. CHIRAJ was the only hospital in the state of Tamil Nadu to offer free care to ALL. It was a 24/7 operation where team CHIRAJ was facilitating oxygen delivery from all over the world to mitigate India’s oxygen shortage. Additionally, we started a vaccination camp with incentives which boasts an 85% vaccination rate for people eligible. Additionally, our FREE Mask Up Earth program has shipped more than 70,000 multi-layer disposable masks to the most vulnerable populations in 36 countries.

Furthermore, we proudly continue to support our Zika virus mothers and children’s project through UMA in Recife, Brazil which we started in 2016 and Syrian children’s refugee education with MAPS at the Syria/Lebanon border which we’ve started in 2017. As a Disaster Medicine specialist, I am increasingly concerned about the catastrophic events that accompany climate change. There is little time to waste, and we must act swiftly. More storms, tornadoes and flooding events are already on the way. Our global team is working on ways to swiftly decarbonize our planet. As an Infectious Diseases specialist, we will be investing in understanding more about the complex zoonotic spread [animal to human] of infectious diseases with our Veterinary team.

We would like to thank all our donors for your engagement and support as we look forward to changing the world through love, science, and our relentless dedication.