BHUBANESWAR: As Covid patients are struggling to access oxygen cylinders in the Capital city, volunteer groups have come forward to arrange the life saving gas for those in home isolation. In Bhubaneswar where more than 80 per cent of the over 10,000 patients are in home isolation, the demand for oxygen cylinders has increased manifold in the last one week. In such testing times, a few volunteers are reaching out to patients at their doorsteps.
Brotherhood Global Foundation, a volunteer organisation, is delivering medical oxygen to critical patients at their homes free of cost. “We have 12 oxygen cylinders that are being circulated among patients who need them,” said founder Sanjit Senapati.
The organisation procures cylinders from industries by paying them monthly security of `8,000 per cylinder (refundable). The cylinders are filled by the volunteers and supplied to the patients. Sanjit, who runs the foundation along with his younger brother, said he does not charge a single penny from any patient . “We have a small group of five to six members who contribute from their own pocket for the cause,” he said and added the organisation is aiming to supply oxygen cylinders to at least 10 needy patients at their doorsteps everyday.
Apart from oxygen, a few voluntary outfits, engaged in organising blood donation camps for Thalassemia patients in the city, have also taken up the task of supplying oxygen to patients in home isolation free of cost. “We usually collect blood for Thalassemia patients. However, during second wave of the pandemic, we received several distressed calls for oxygen and decided to arrange it for patients in need free of cost,” said Safaque Aftab, chairman of the Parivartan Foundation.
Aftab said more than 30 members are associated with him for the voluntary work and are also distributing oxygen masks and food among the poor in the city. Brotherhood Global Foundation can be reached at 7978-771-232 and Parivartan Foundation at 9937-052-523.