Helping patients breathe
If food was the major concern for the Covid-19 affected persons during the first wave of pandemic last year, during its second wave, availability of oxygen seems to be the cause of big worry.
Seetha Anand Vaidyam, who has been busy trying to arrange oxygen concentrators for those in need, says, “We started with three, and are awaiting the arrival of 30 more from the United States, bought with funds raised by our volunteers.”
“The first three we bought were six litre concentrators, probably not the best in terms of capacity but still of great help for those who need oxygen support at home after discharge from hospitals,” she says. While three are making rounds in the Old City of Hyderabad, two others are being lent to anyone in need as soon as they become available.
“After seeing a message on social media on the need to have oxygen, a woman immediately spread the word among her colleagues in an IT company, and raised enough money to buy 30 concentrators which are on their way to Hyderabad,” Seetha Anand says. Of these, 20 will be used in Hyderabad, while 10 will be used in Bengaluru, “where the situation is even worse,” she adds.
“Refilling a 10-litre cylinder is now costing `1,500 to `2,000. A new cylinder costs anywhere between `25,000 and `30,000 now. It takes about six hours for an attendant to stand in line these days to get a refill, imagine what that person might be going through during this period. Concentrators are a better option if we can have them,” she says.
“We have received some funds from individuals to an account in the US from which will be used to buy more concentrators,” she says. Thanks to an interview in TAL (Touch A Life foundation) radio, a second fund raiser is on in the US for which money is being pooled for buying more oxygen concentrators, she says.
While ensuring that Covid-19 hit people can breathe easy, Ananda Foundation set up by Seetha Anand is also in the process of providing dry rations for a month to priests, nearly 100 of them at Veda Bhavan in the city. “We do not have any employees and everyone who joins hands is a volunteer,” Seetha says.