Two Bengaluru organizations in forefront of providing succor to Covid patients

Bengaluru: Amid the Covid-19 misery confronting millions across the country due to lack of beds in hospitals, medicines, food, etc, there are individuals and organizations bringing love and compassion to brighten up our gloomy lives through their relentless efforts to help the needy.

Among such organizations in the forefront of helping Covid-hit people are city-based Mantra4Change and Suriya Foundation – 2. Their primary goal is to ensure access to medical attention for those who have tested Covid positive. These initiatives, undertaken in collaboration with the State government and civil society organizations in Bengaluru are helping patients get timely support. Since April, the two organizations have so far saved more than 1000 lives in the city by making available ambulances equipped with oxygen, Covid kits, vaccination, ration, step-down hospitals and oxygen-on-wheels. The organisations have set up a helpline (080-47181616) for citizens in urgent need of oxygen.

They are actively supported by Zerodha, Wells Fargo, The Kumble Foundation, Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiative, Tamara Resorts, Tech Mahindra Foundation and Ashraya Hastha Trust .

Speaking to The Hans India, Santosh More, co-founder of Mantra4Change, says, "30 ambulances with oxygen supply are plying through the streets of Bengaluru to support patients who need to be ferried to hospitals. In several cases, the delay in getting a bed in hospitals has led to the death of patients. These ambulances, equipped with oxygen supply and a paramedic ensure that patients receive oxygen to stabilise their SPO2 levels until they're able to find hospital beds. On any given day, these ambulances are supporting 100 patients in the city."

The two organizations have deployed five oxygen-on-wheels in Bengaluru, dedicated to providing immediate oxygen supply to patients who aren't able to get to hospitals in time. Launched in partnership with the zonal officer, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, these vans are equipped with oxygen concentrators to ensure continuous oxygen supply to patients. Citizens can call 080-47181616 to avail the service.

"2,000 plus Covid positive patients from low-income households in Bengaluru have received kits for the treatment of mild/moderate symptoms at home. Each kit consists of four medicines, a mask, a sanitizer, thermometer and an oximeter. While we saw that not many individuals knew how to use an oximeter to detect their SPO2 levels, every kit comes with a QR Code which can be scanned by any camera enabled phone, leading the patient to a short tutorial on using the oximeter by Mr Anil Kumble. The kits are being distributed in partnership with the government of Karnataka to low-income households across the city," Santosh further added.

The kits have also been distributed in partnership with the Karnataka government to the low income families across Bengaluru. More than 20,000 families are said to have benefited from the ration distribution drive in Bengaluru. From the experience of last year when the sudden nation-wide lockdown created chaos, the organizations were able to plan ahead of the second wave and prepare for widespread ration distribution to families across the city. Each ration kit contains all the essentials - rice, flour, oils, pulses, tea, grains, etc.

Reacting to the work being done, Deeksha Dinesh, trustee of Ashraya Hastha Trust, says, "As saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine, in these tough times all of us are trying our best to survive and get through it. We as trustees only want to be able to help those who don't have the resources. We believe in working towards making a better world than what we live in. Equal opportunities to every one."

The organizations set up a 40-bed step-down centre recently. For patients in need of continuous oxygen monitoring, these step-down centres ensure patient-care until their SPO2 levels normalize. After receiving a rigorous critical care in ICUs, a patient is typically transferred to a High Dependency Unit (HDU) for further monitoring, then to a ward where they recuperate until it's time for them to be discharged.

"Given how stretched our medical institutions are at this point, there are limited provisions to extend step-down treatment to patients. By converting temporary spaces in Public Health Centres to step-down hospitaals, we can ensure further care for patients getting discharged from ICUs and also those who may require oxygen support but not to the extent of an ICU admission," says Puneeth T, one of the volunteers from Suriya Foundation.

"Over 1500 people have been vaccinated through our centres in Bengaluru. Vaccines are the only way to flatten the curve and eliminate the spread of the virus. However, misconceptions and misinformation about vaccines can be huge deterrents to ensuring maximum inoculation. Awareness of and access to vaccines are crucial to making sure a large number of individuals get the jabs. Our vaccination camps are equipped with a van, a doctor, a nurse, and kits.

Puneeth also added that, "We as an organisation along with a lot of volunteer teams have been working on Covid response supporting critical patients with oxygen, beds and ambulance services. Right now we see Covid penetration deeply into rural pockets which have very less health infrastructure. We are scaling up our work in rural areas across Karnataka and outside the State, too," they said.