Punjab: Village gurdwara provides Oxygen concentrators, Covid medicines free of cost

HOSHIARPUR: Baba Sewa Singh of Rampura Khera has started providing free oxygen concentrators at his dera in Hoshiarpur district. The dera is also providing medicines used in the treatment of Covid-19 free of cost to needy patients on the basis of a doctor’s prescription.
Gurdwara Rampur Khera posted a message on its Facebook page informing people about the service. “We have already acquired five oxygen concentrators and in the next few days, we expect to acquire more. We shall check the doctor’s prescription and people can take the concentrators home. They should return them when they no longer need them and we shall provide it to the next patient,” said Baba Sewa Singh on Thursday. He added that they would not take any rent or security deposit.
Baba Bawa Sewa Singh said all their concentrators are in use and they would add more in the days to come as per availability of machines.
SGPC has already set up three Covid care facilities equipped with oxygen concentrators and medical staff. Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal has also set up an isolation centre at Seechewal village and they are trying to acquire oxygen concentrators too.
Both Baba Sewa Singh Rampur Khera and Baba Seechewal’s endeavours are based in the hinterland.
Box: Oxygen concentrator bank in Jalandhar
In Jalandhar, the district administration has set up an oxygen concentrator bank in Red Cross Bhawan, where 30 oxygen concentrators have been kept. A patient can get these on the basis of a prescription by a doctor on daily rent of Rs 200 with refundable security of Rs 5,000.
The prescribing doctor would have to guarantee that the device would function under his supervision. Jalandhar deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said the concentrator bank has been established at Red Cross Bhawan. He said patients can also get the facility at the post-Covid recovery ward in the Civil Hospital, where a 30-bedded ward has been set up by the administration to facilitate patients requiring oxygen support.
--