Chromepet residents donate vehicle for use of Covid patients

SHOT OF HOPE

Chromepet residents donate vehicle for use of Covid patients

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:21.05.2021

In an effort to make resources available to those affected by Covid, residents in and around Chromepet came together to donate an emergency vehicle, 40 oxygen concentrators and cylinders to the local Covid-19 health centres.

Close to 1,200 people have made their way at the two major government Covid hospitals in the city’s southern suburbs – Chromepet Government Hospital and Tambaram TB Hospital – ever since the second week of April.

Only severe cases manage to get a ‘108’ ambulance to reach Chengalpattu Medical College Hospital or private hospitals for intensive medical care. Those with mild and moderate infection are unable to get a ‘108’ ambulance and private ambulances cost ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 even for short trips.

So residents, most of whom are also activists, from Chrompet rented a van for the next three months and converted it into an emergency vehicle so that mild/moderate patients too can be transported to other hospitals or Covid care centres set up in Tambaram and other neighbouring areas. This would roughly cost ₹2.25 lakh.

S M Govindarajan, president of Patel Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association said, “On May 6, we got a panic call from the GH for oxygen cylinders. Within 24 hours, we crowdfunded ₹2 lakh to buy 20 new cylinders for the hospital. We did not want this to be a one-time act. So till date we ensure that the cylinders are refilled at Gummidipoondi and made available for patients round the clock.”

Besides this, he managed to get the help of Bhoomika Trust to mobilise 20 oxygen concentrators for the GH. These were supposed to assist Chennai Super Kings players but with the IPL on hold, the trust decided to donate it for the benefit of patients at government hospitals, said Govindarajan, also head of Lions Club of Thiruneermalai.

“We are trying to mobilise 20 more concentrators from the US and it is expected to reach Chennai in the next two days,” said V Santhanam, another resident-activist from Chromepet helped the GH by donating four steel wheel-chairs worth ₹50,000 and heavy-duty trolleys to transport cylinders.

The group has also procured 100-odd new chairs for patients and their attendants, who wait in queue, before admission. “We hope this will inspire many others to help during this crisis,” Santhanam said.

Resident and Chengalpet collector A John Louis flag off the emergency vehicle fo the local government hospital on Tuesday