New York based Odissi doctor supplies concentrators to aid Orissa’s fight against Covid-19
During the last two months, India has faced the heat of the second wave of Covid-19, resulting in a severe shortage of hospital beds, oxygen, ventilators and essential medicines. During these tough times, many NRIs settled across the world came out in full force to aid their fellow countrymen. A New York based Odissi doctor, Dr. Tapti Panda, is one among these NRIs who helped her community in India, with the support of her spouse Dr. Rajan Subbiah, by supplying free oxygen concentrators under “The Breathe India ACT Foundation” campaign.
The campaign procured 49 oxygen concentrators directly from manufacturers outside India and sent them to Delhi. From there, the volunteers of Rashtriya Prabasi Odia Paribar (RPOP) transported the concentrators to Bhuvneshwar, the birth state of Dr. Panda, and distributed them among Sparsh COVID hospital, Sikh Aid, Nayagarh COVID center, and various frontline doctors in Angul, Burla, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Swasthya Swaraj at Bhawanipatna and the Odisha Society of Americas‘ oxygen shelter. These efforts were meant to help mild to moderate COVID patients and those that can be cared at home post discharge.
“The second wave of the COVID pandemic has impacted all of us. Most of our lives have changed permanently. This campaign has been possible through the compassionate donations from US residents, healthcare workers, and families and friends of the campaign team,” said Dr. Tapti Panda.
“The second and third batch of the concentrators will be sent to Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh,” she added.
When asked about RPOPs involvement in the campaign, its president Minaketan Samal said, “The RPOP has been indulged in many socio culture work in Delhi NCR in the last five years. During the first wave of Covid, we had distributed dry ration and cooked food to the needy people with the support of Odia Samaj and RSS. This time we are providing oxygen concentrator to Covid hospitals and doctors in Odisha and Delhi NCR.”
He further said that RPOPs spirit to stand shoulder to shoulder with the community is reflected in its slogans – ‘United we stand’ and ‘Always we not I’.
