BENGALURU: To help Covid-19 patients who require oxygen, Canadian International School (CIS), Bengaluru, in association with the Bengaluru chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO), has decided to convert one of its hostels into a 120-bed oxygen centre as a non-profit venture. The facility is expected to be up and running by mid-May. Medical partner Cytecare Cancer Hospitals will set up an organised channel through which oxygen beds can be allocated and it will manage the facility.
The facility will cater only to those in dire need of oxygen, school officials said. “Oxygen will be given for free to those who cannot afford it. Government rates will be applied to others,” a spokesperson told TNIE. Each bed will have a five litre oxygen concentrator. Patients will be screened on arrival and if they need more medical care, they will be guided to a hospital.
EO had started a campaign titled Take a pledge. Save Bangalore from Suffocating: 100 Lakhs. 100 beds. 100s of lives, to raise funds and resources for the centre. Each oxygen bed with consumables (bed linen, medicines, food , etc) will cost around Rs 1 lakh. EO plans to mobilize Rs 1 crore for the oxygen beds at CIS.
“After a lot of deliberation, our member Shweta Sastri came forward and offered her school’s hostel to be repurposed as an oxygen bed centre. We have tied up with Cytecare to manage the facility,” said Anuj Jhunjhunwala, president of EO’s Bengaluru chapter. Our fundraising target is Rs 1 crore for 100 beds in 100 hours, he added.
Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, CIS, said, “We know we are in an emergency situation and that people desperately need oxygen. The entire country is reeling from the pandemic and we thought we should do something for the community.”