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In these times of serious health crisis, everybody needs a helping hand. Right from low income families, migrant labourers who need ration, to doctors and other health care workers who need PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment). The health care sector across the country, in various states are struggling to get PPEs to secure themselves from the transmission of COVID19. For this purpose many in the civil society, even individuals are running campaigns to raise money so that necessary PPEs can be bought and provided for the medical community.
One such campaign is being run by Ms. Aru Bhartiya in Jaipur. Her mother is a general surgeon at SMS (Sawai Mansingh) hospital in Jaipur, which is one of the biggest COVID19 treatment centres in Rajasthan. Initially, to deal with the shortage of masks, Ms. Bhartiya would herself stitch masks, on directions from her mother, for the resident doctors at the hospital. While a lot of help is coming from the community, a threat of further shortage of PPEs is looming and hence Ms. Bharitya who herself is a civil engineer and economist by education with a career working for research institutes and NGOs, is running a campaign on Our Democracy to raise funds for procuring the PPEs.
Expressing her concern over the shortage of PPEs, Ms Bharitya said, “My mother is a General Surgeon in SMS hospital, Jaipur. After listening to the stories of how other doctors were being infected due to Covid-19 and how no protective gear was being given to the health care workers I got scared for my mother’s health and all the other health care workers. I think our medical staff is very vulnerable right now and India has a very slim doctor to patient ratio i.e 1:1700 . In this scenario saving every doctor is crucial. And now we know over 50 health care professionals in India have tested positive for Covid-19.”
She also said that shortage of PPE are leaving doctors and other frontline workers dangerously ill-equipped to care for COVID19 patients. The funds being provided by the government are not sufficient, she says and there are lot of other things for which the funds are being used.
She wishes to raise money through this campaign, so that doctors at SMS hospital, Jaipur can do their jobs fearlessly and so that the country overcomes this crisis together.
The link for the campaign is here
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