Supplying medical oxygen cylinders in Panipat
Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra, Panipat, Haryana
During India’s second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, infections surged and strained the healthcare system. Consequently, many Covid-19 patients were asked to isolate at home.
The demand for medical oxygen soared and home isolation patients struggled to access the life-saving commodity. Local administrations responded by setting up medical oxygen supply centers. In May 2021, Sh. Surender Kumar, personal assistant of the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), approached Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) for assistance. He noted that during the lockdown in 2020, VMRK had collaborated very well with the Panipat administration to provide cooked food packets and food ration kits. Read our blog post about this collaboration.
He invited VMRK volunteers to meet the SDM and Tehsildar to discuss another cooperative effort. At the meeting the administration asked VMRK to provide a service to pick-up & drop-off oxygen cylinders at our Panipat center at Ujha Road.
Our first challenge was to arrange 45kg oxygen cylinders with 100% oxygen pressure. At that time there was an acute shortage of oxygen cylinders, and it was really hard to arrange the cylinders. With God’s grace, we managed to source 50 high-pressure oxygen cylinders.
Round the Clock 24-hour Service
From May 9 – June 15, 2021, our team of 50 volunteers ran the 24-hour service at the VMRK Panipat center. Home isolation Covid-19 patients who required oxygen support sent their attendants to the center with their empty cylinders. The attendants had to bring the documentation required by the local administration, such as the patient’s and attendant’s aadhaar cards, the doctor’s prescription slip and a photo of the patient with the reading on the oximeter.
Government guidelines required the attendants to fill out the online “Citizen Oxygen Requirement Form” at the Haryana Government official website for oxygen cylinder supply. Our volunteers assisted attendants who needed help filling in the form to complete the request process. After we electronically accepted each online request and received the required documentation from the attendant, we supplied the requested oxygen cylinder. All the cylinders, empty and filled, were sanitized by our volunteers.
Dainik Savera Times reported on this service on 14 May 2021.
CLICK TO READ THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE DAINIK SAVERA REPORT
50 Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra volunteers bringing oxygen cylinders to Covid patients’ homes
50 oxygen flow meters handed over to the District Red Cross Society for people in need
Dainik Savera / Friday, May 14, 2021
Panipat, 13th May 2021 (Vinod Panchal): 50 volunteers of Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra, (VMRK), Sector 24, Ujha Road are serving 24 Hours to supply oxygen cylinders to Covid patients.
Covid patients who are in emergency situations will get refilled oxygen cylinders from VMRK Ujha center. To avail this free service, the relatives are required to provide the patient’s prescription, aadhaar card and oximeter reading to the VMRK volunteers.
The chief volunteer of this VMRK center Surendra Ahuja, states that these days so many people are suffering from Covid. In times like these, we should work together to save each other.
Mr. Ahuja said many people are battling the disease by themselves while their children are living abroad. The VMRK volunteers have provided oxygen cylinders to their homes.
More than 100 patients have already received oxygen cylinders from VMRK. The center has also handed over 50 oxygen flow meters to the district Red Cross Society for use by those in need. Mr. Ahuja said that all the oxygen cylinders supplied by VMRK have been filled using high pressure technology.
Last year, during the Covid pandemic, VMRK volunteers had donated 5,000 ration kits and other essential commodities to the district administration. This time VMRK is in the service of saving many lives by arranging and delivering oxygen cylinders.
For oxygen cylinders, please contact Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra, Sector 24, Ujha Road, Panipat. Helpline Numbers – 8931800001 or 9050300052.
Emergency Requests for Oxygen Cylinders
On May 12, 2021, our team received a phone call from a young man in Germany who was unable to return to India due to travel restrictions during the lockdown. The young man had found the center’s phone number on the Haryana government official website for oxygen cylinder supply.
He explained that his parents were in home isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 and required oxygen support. He implored our volunteers to deliver an oxygen cylinder to his parents immediately. Our volunteers located his residence and delivered the cylinder to his parents after receiving the doctor’s prescription and the other documents required by the government.
The Jagran News reported this event on 14 May 2021.
CLICK TO READ THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE JAGRAN NEWS REPORT
RECEIVED CALL FROM GERMANY requesting oxygen for parents, IMMEDIATELY DELIVERED CYLINDER
Publish Date: Friday, May 14, 2021 02:22 AM (IST)
Surendra Ahuja, a member of Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) received a phone call from a young man named Manoj from Germany. Manoj explained that he was stuck in Germany. His parents in India had tested Covid positive but there was no one to help them. Manoj requested Mr. Ahuja to send oxygen cylinders to his family.
Soon after the call, using the address details given by the young man, the members of the organization located the place and delivered oxygen cylinders to his parents.
Social and religious organizations are now functioning as the panacea for the people. Every day 40-50 people come to refill their oxygen cylinders.
Surendra Ahuja, who manages the VMRK team, informed that they have a stock of 50 high-pressure oxygen cylinders. All the oxygen gas cylinders are filled by the Red Cross Society. A team of 50 volunteers from VMRK is dedicated to this and each day they are allocated different duties. Persons in need who come from the city or anywhere else can get their oxygen cylinder after verification of documents.
VMRK is also providing oxygen flow meters free of cost. Anyone who doesn’t have an oxygen flow meter when they come to the center to refill their oxygen cylinder, is given a flow meter free of cost. Each of these meters now cost Rs.4,000 in the market; but initially the cost was only Rs.1,000. VMRK has given more than 20 flow meters free of cost.
Details of oxygen cylinder supplied by the VRMK in the last five days are as follows:
May 9: 13 cylinders supplied
May 10: 13 cylinders supplied
May 11: 15 cylinders supplied
May 12: 40 cylinders supplied and 4 cylinders delivered to homes
May 13: 25 cylinders supplied and 3 cylinders delivered to homes
Note: These numbers were provided by the VMRK team.
VMRK is supplying oxygen cylinders at night too.
In another event, a man came to our center at around 1am having traveled approximately 120km. Desperately needing an oxygen cylinder for an emergency, he broke down in tears as he informed our volunteers that he hadn’t been able to find oxygen cylinders elsewhere. We supplied him a cylinder on the spot after receiving the doctor’s prescription and the other documents required by the government. He said, “You have saved my father’s life.”
Daily Reporting
Each day, the number of cylinders awaiting refilling at our center were reported to the administration. We then waited for the administration to advise the time we could send the cylinders for refilling. The Panipat administration audited our records frequently. The audit officer was impressed with our record keeping and adherence to the Covid-19 guidelines.
After some weeks, we received a phone call from Sh. Suhil, Nodal Officer, who informed that the administration would close all the oxygen pick-up and drop-off centers except the ones at Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra and Red Cross Society. They requested us to extend the oxygen cylinder pick-up and drop-off service till 15 June 2021.
Bhaskar News published a news article about this on 7 June 2021.
CLICK TO READ THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE BHASKAR NEWS REPORT
Photo caption: The oxygen center set up in Panipat for the patients by Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra, Ujha Road
Charitable and other social service organizations to stop supplying oxygen cylinders
Oxygen cylinders are now available only from the district Red Cross Society and Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra, Ujha Road
Monday, June 7, 2021
From now on, Covid patients’ needs for oxygen cylinders will be fulfilled by only two places. Other social service organizations and merchants’ associations who were doing this service up until now have stopped their services.
Now the residents will get their oxygen cylinders from the Red Cross Society and Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra, Sector 24, Ujha Road.
The district administration has handed over the responsibility for doing this service to these two organizations only.
The intensity of the Covid infection has started slowly to come down, but it has not fully ended. The residents still need to be very careful about this. Those who are going to the markets and other public places without a mask are certainly the main contributors towards the spread of the disease.
The secretary of the Red Cross Society Sh. Gaurav Ramkaran has said two Covid patients Helpline numbers have been set up: 0180-400 8356 and 94163-89663. People should use these numbers to get help.
Sh. Surendra Ahuja from Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra, Sector 24, Ujha Road said that those who need oxygen cylinders can call the Vishav Manav Ruhahi Kendra mobile number: 90503 00052. This service is available 24 hours every day.