NEW DELHI: From providing medical kits, medicines, bandages to food, Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti and his band of eight doctors are crowdfunding medical camps in riot-affected northeast Delhi to help victims of communal violence.
Standing true to Hippocratic oath, these doctors risk their lives while accessing the worst affected areas without thinking twice — often at odd hours.
“We are crowdfunding to continue our camps and to purchase medicines and kit. Although many medical shops have opened, we will continue to offer help for some more days.
We had to purchase many medicines on our own,” said Bhatti, president, Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum (PMSF). Over 30 PMSF members shuffled their work hours without taking leave to serve the riot-hit.
“We started out on February 25. We were scared. The situation was volatile. But we managed to contact Al-Hind Hospital at Mustafabad on February 26,” Bhatti said, “It is the sense of responsibility that acted as the driving force.”
“As news spread of our presence at Al-Hind, patients started flocking. We took bikes to traverse the lanes and ghettos which ambulances couldn’t reach.” Bhatti first got a call around 12pm on February 25 from Al-Hind Hospital. An ambulance dispatched with essential drugs was stopped by rioters.
“Late night, we tried again, only to be stopped by the police at the Signature Bridge saying that private ambulances were not allowed in Mustafabad. We called in the state government CATS ambulance service but got no help,” he stated.
By the evening of last Tuesday, the Al Hind was receiving more patients with gunshot and severe injuries. But the team had no ways to reach the spot. On Wednesday morning, they managed to reach Al-Hind.
“The hospital doesn’t have facilities to accommodate so many critical patients. But the patients were reluctant to leave. They had lost all hope in the police... We convinced a very critical patient to shift to GTB and accompanied many, but we were stopped by police two-three times,” Bhatti recalled.
Rumours fly thick and fast
Panic gripped several parts of the west, southeast and northwest Delhi on Sunday evening after rumours of violence spread on social media even as the Delhi Police denied any such incident and appealed people to remain calm.
In the evening, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had tweeted about shutting down the entry and exit gates of seven metro stations— Tilak Nagar, Nangloi, Surajmal Stadium, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Uttam Nagar west and Nawada — without giving any reason. The stations were later reopened.