An overburdened medical infrastructure hit laborious by COVID-19 brings with it many insurmountable points – scarcity of beds, delay in hospitalization, well timed ambulance companies being affected.
All of this takes a toll on the morale of sufferers and their households who’re below residence quarantine, hoping for one of the best.
But, within the unlucky occasion of dropping Sp02 (blood oxygen saturation) ranges, issues get even troublesome, with sufferers having to hurry to overcrowded hospitals, make frantic requires oxygen, scrambling for a taxi or an ambulance and many others.
That’s the place a handful of medical Oxygen carrying tuk-tuks (autorickshaws) operated by an NGO – Kadamai Education and Social welfare belief, come into play.
Offering 24/7 free medical oxygen service utilizing 4 autos over the past three weeks, the service has touched the lives of many households unfold throughout Chennai metropolis.
Clad in full physique PPE fits, the auto driver and his attender attain the residence of these in pressing want of medical oxygen.
Their autos fitted with 50kg Oxygen cylinders, that maintain 47 liters of oxygen can cater to the wants of sufferers for upto six hours(at most circulate), which is claimed to be ample to avoid wasting a severely affected COVID-19 respiratory sickness affected person.
Initially serving the northern components of the town, the service quickly grew in reputation and began receiving calls from numerous corners, thus main them to extend their manpower and efforts.
Currently working six auto rickshaws, the NGO receives about 400 calls each day, of which, they can fulfill wherever between 20 and 40 requests.
In most circumstances, they wait so long as it takes to stabilize the affected person with about 98% Sp02, if not they ferry them to the closest accessible oxygen beds and wait till the affected person is admitted.
The wait time for stabilizing every affected person varies from 20 minutes to almost two and a half hours, say the volunteers.
It all began off as a free service to drop sufferers and suspected COVID-19 circumstances in scanning facilities and hospitals, however with the each day circumstances in Chennai nearing the 7,000 mark, there was a looming Oxygen disaster.
That’s when telecom sector businessman and NGO founder Vasantha Kumar Chandran considered retrofitting his personal auto rickshaw and some rented ones with massive Oxygen cylinders and taking their service a notch upwards.
“This wave is unbelievable, it’s not just old people, but those in their 40s who are getting badly affected and in need of oxygen. It took a lot of convincing for my own family to let me drive the auto myself”, mentioned Chandran who holds an autorickshaw and heavy automobile driver’s license.
“As we started off, it was a struggle to get the oxygen cylinders and refills, but things slowly fell into place. Now we have cylinders fitted on our autos that are roaming the city and also a small facility to provide oxygen for the patients visiting our office. Patients see us like God and get very emotional, some even offer us money. But for us, every single minute can prove too costly, so we immediately have to rush towards the next call,” he informed Zee Media.
When requested how their drivers and attenders are risking the shut contact with COVID-19 optimistic sufferers, he mentioned that there was no compromise on security, including how all of them have been offered ample PPE gear and sanitizers. The drivers who depend upon this alone are paid a wage, the others are our personal NGO volunteers, he mentioned.
In their 30-member workforce, everybody has one thing to do for the larger good – these with licenses drive autos, the others man the decision middle, journey as attenders, and procure oxygen, guarantee refills and many others.
In current instances, an identical mannequin has been adopted by the Greater Chennai Corporation, the town’s civic physique. They have turned multi-utility autos into automobile ambulances that may ferry sufferers to both devoted COVID-19 care services or hospitals, based mostly on case severity.
Such programs are being launched to reduce the burden on ambulances that can be utilized to cater to extra extreme circumstances.
