The brutal second wave of COVID-19 infections has left the country’s entire healthcare apparatus gasping for breath. Quite literally. The last few weeks have been defined by hospitals in the national capital and across states taking to social media with desperate pleas for oxygen supplies.
Not just that. Vital medicines are in short supply, families are seeing endless waiting times not just for admissions in hospitals but also to cremate those who have succumbed to the virus. In these times, when all else has failed, citizens come forward to help those in need.
Amid the acute oxygen shortage, the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee has been arranging ‘Oxygen Langars’ across Delhi for COVID patients in need of oxygen support. Patients pull up to the Gurudwara and oxygen is provided to them in the vehicles that they are in. The organisation is also providing food for those affected by the pandemic.
From Lucknow, Varsha Verma has rented a van and provides a free hearse service to help families carry bodies for cremation. She decided to help others after she lost a friend to COVID and had to wait for several hours before she could get a hearse van.
Nagpur’s transporter Pyare Khan spent Rs 85 lakh for procuring and transporting 400 metric tonnes of oxygen for the city’s government hospitals that are treating COVID-19 patients.
CNBC-TV18 spoke to some of these special citizens who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to lend a helping hand to those in need.
Watch video for more.