Concentrators on loan help save lives at home in Pune

PUNE: A group of NGOs and social organisations in the city have come together to loan oxygen concentrators to Covid-19 patients for 3-5 days at their homes for free. Caretakers and relatives of the patients are expected to look for a bed in hospitals in the meantime, shift the patient and return the concentrator which is then loaned to another needy patient.
One such organisations, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, which started the effort last year, said they had bought two concentrators to help patients with lung disease in 2019. After the pandemic struck, they bought 10 more machines and have helped hundreds of people. They get between 100-200 calls a day.
Shaikh Imran Hussain of the organisation said they give out the concentrators only when the doctor prescribes it and if the patient’s relatives submit the Aadhaar number.
“There are hundreds of calls and only so many concentrators. So, about 4-6 months ago, other NGOs also started looking at how best they can help and we suggested buying oxygen concentrators because the capacity to breathe is the biggest help we can provide even without medical help. Currently, I know about four NGOs who are providing 40-50 oxygen concentrators on loan to people for free. These machines are easy to use and portable. We also help the needy get ambulances, plasma, ventilator beds among others,” said Shaikh.
Navin C’s mother’s oxygen level was down to 80 and there were hardly any oxygen supported beds available in the city. “The doctor told us that if we are able to get oxygen, he would treat her at home. One call to these people and I could get the machine. When we requested them to extend it for two more days, they did so for my mother. Now she is much better.”
Another NGO is Khisal Jafri’s Ahlebait Covid Helpline. “We started four months ago and we have 10 oxygen concentrators and are expecting three more. We provide an oxygen supported bed for 1 to 3 days. We have a team of 10 doctors and some students of psychology who counsel the patients and relatives,” Jafri added.
Santosh Pandit, who used Ahlebait’s helpline, said, “My friend’s 95-year-old father needed a hospital bed. We called the helpline. They immediately took the concentrator to his house. His father passed away peacefully at home in two days. We can’t thank the organisation enough,” Pandit said. Other organisations like Tamboli Trust and Dar-E-Arqam also provide oxygen for free.