CHENNAI: While the government was busy recommending Twitter to pull down messages for help, volunteers reached out to those who sent the messages and played the roles of ‘Good Samaritans’ to perfection.
Riya Gupta, a 20-year-old medical student in the city, wakes up at 6 am everyday to finish her college work so she can focus on arranging blood and plasma for the messages she receives on her Instagram page.
Along with 15 friends, she started volunteering online two weeks ago when the non-availability of beds and oxygen started hitting the headlines.
"There is a donor, a patient and the blood bank. Since there is no way to connect them together, we act as moderators. We have set up a database where donors can register and we will call them once the requirement comes," says Riya Gupta.
A few days ago, Riya got a call at around 6 am. A COVID-positive pregnant woman had been admitted for C-section delivery and needed B-ve blood, one of the rare groups. "We only had four hours before the surgery. We started waking up friends and relatives asking for the blood. Finally, one of my friends’ parents agreed to donate and reached the hospital at 7.30 am. Her surgery was successful. She gave birth to a healthy child and is recovering," said Riya.
Riya has now gone one step ahead and started a Tinder profile where people can register as donors for blood and plasma. Interestingly, more than 70 donors have registered and now, they have a database so that they can contact persons nearby particular hospitals to enable faster help.
Riya's group members are mostly medicos who use their contacts in the respective hospitals to arrange blood and beds for patients, a strategy that has reduced response time. However, the job is not without its share of heartbreaks.
Sometimes, they receive news that the patient they had helped has died. “It is sad but we come to peace with the fact that we tried everything we could,” says Riya. People willing to donate blood or plasma can register at https://linktr.ee/Blooddonorconnect.
Another volunteer who did not wish to be named said that he has taken leave from work for two weeks. "When I started, it was manageable but now there are more requests. I need to dedicate time for calling and verifications. I believe it is things like these that nurture the soul," said Henry (name changed), a resident of Chennai, who works in a MNC.
Haritha Manohar, a postgraduate Journalism student from Pondicherry University, sits everyday with one set of earphones attached to the phone and another attached to the laptop for online class. On the phone, she responds to SOS messages on Instagram. When she received a request for a bed in the city for an elderly woman, she contacted several hospitals, skipped her lunch and asked her friend to record the class so she could listen later.
"After a few hours I found there was a bed available in another private hospital and informed the woman’s son. Few days later, I received a call from the elderly woman. She could not talk yet she blessed me and my family," says Haritha, adding that it was one of her life’s best moments. You can follow her at haritha_journal on Instagram (https://instagram.com/haritha._)