Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 23

Rising Covid-19 cases have forced the aggrieved to ask for help on the social media. Students of the Legal Aid Clinic of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab (Patiala), have stepped in to help these individuals by starting an initiative called #DontWorryForPlasma the idea of which initially was to connect plasma donors to Covid patients, but has now expanded to providing any kind of help to Covid patients.

The clinic had started the initiative on April 18. It has created a community of thousands of people who share information on available healthcare facilities. It is running six WhatsApp groups for #DontWorryforPlasma, including two dedicated groups for people of the Punjab-Chandigarh region and for the students of the university. Working 24x7, the volunteers arrange hospital beds, oxygen supplies and plasma donors for patients in need, responding to SOS calls even late at night. They verify information and provide it to patients and their relatives who cannot afford to lose valuable time in order to save the lives of their patients. The volunteers are also proactively engaged in encouraging those who have recovered from Covid-19 to donate plasma. Besides, they report to the authorities concerned about individuals indulged in the sale of essential medical supplies on black market. The group has helped hundreds of people in distress.

The Twitter handle (@RgnulLAC) and Facebook page of the clinic have been active in spreading awareness about the pandemic by providing important Covid-related information such as necessary Covid guidelines, information released by the government, vaccination registration details etc. These pages also feature important helplines such as 1098 for children in need of care and protection, and helpline for senior citizens (14567) as issued by the Central Government.

The faculty coordinator at the clinic stated that the aim of this initiative was to try everything possible to help those in despair due to Covid-19. They are soon going to start a fundraiser that will help underprivileged patients bear their medical expenses on oxygen cylinders, concentrators and hospital bills.

The students now plan to help people in rural areas to get registered for the vaccination drive.