City colleges come forward to help Covid-19 patients

City colleges come forward to help Covid-19 patients

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:17.05.2021

In the war on Covid-19, city colleges are chipping in by opening their campuses for oxygen beds and isolation rooms, preparing food packets for frontline workers and tele-counselling patients. A majority have handed over their buildings to the Greater Chennai Corporation to convert them into Covid care centres.

Madras Christian College created a 15-bed isolation facility for patients with mild symptoms, five-bed facility for primary contacts and also launched an ambulance service. “The facility is open to all faculty members, staff members, students, alumni and general public. The centre will provide basic ambulance and isolation services,” said Paul Wilson, principal. The centre will provide online medical consultation, food and nursing services. The ambulance will be available up to a radius of 15 km from MCC. .

Loyola College is offering tele-counselling to Covid-19 patients in partnership with the corporation. “We have an additional tele-counselling facility in our college as well. The centre has three dedicated phone lines and counsellors. Social workers are giving counselling," said principal Thomas Amirtham.

The college also identified 200 community leaders to train in basic awareness. "Each person will get a corona home Kit which will have an oxymeter, masks, hand sanitizer and tablets. They will operate as community healers,” he added. The college along with GCC plans to start a 50-bed Covid care centre for asymptomatic persons at the hostel.

Some colleges are also organising vaccination drives and functioning as community kitchens. “We are conducting a vaccination drive for the general public along with the Rotaract club. We have also handed over a building for Covid care centre,” said S Santhosh Baboo, principal of DG Vaishnav College.

Alagappa College of Technology hostel at Anna University campus in Chennai functioning as Covid care centre for police personnel. “We have also handed over the knowledge park building for converting it as a Covid care centre,” a university n official said.

STEPPING UP: Madras Christian College created a 15-bed isolation facility