BENGALURU: Helping Hands - a volunteer group of apartment dwellers and resident welfare associations that was formed after the 2015 Chennai floods - has turned out to be the only group of friendly faces the survivors can turn to while recuperating in the hospital. They have been bringing them food, medicines, fruits and clothes. The group has collected 150 kg of ration - rice, lentils and cooking oil - to be sent back with the survivors once they are discharged.
While it is pitiful enough that the BBMP has not announced any compensation for the injured or given them any help to meet expenses towards their food or provide shelter to their family members, Helping Hands is doing what the Palike was supposed to do. Since Thursday they have been taking care of three meals a day for all the 10 patients and their caretakers. Different apartments have come forward to sponsor meals. The volunteers are also spending time with the doctors to understand each patient’s need.
They are working with the BBMP to clear the hospital bills. BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad sent a letter to Stanford Super Specialty Hospital, a copy of which is with Express, on Saturday, asking it to provide medical treatment first and claim reimbursement later.
For a small hospital like Stanford, with four of its rooms being occupied by the injured and the bills running up to more than `3.5 lakh, it is difficult to sustain operations, but the Palike has not arranged for better medical facilities in bigger hospitals. Hospitals such as Sakra and Shankara have asked for payment upfront to treat the victims. Instead of coordinating with big hospitals and paying their bills upfront, the BBMP has chosen a small hospital with limited facilities.Renu Goyal, a volunteer, had bought food with the money collected from her neighbours but chose to make rotis by herself. “My daughter pitched in too,” she said.