Gautam Gambhir's foundation to organise free Covid vaccination camp

NEW DELHI: BJP MP from East Delhi Gautam Gambhir on Thursday announced to organise free Covid vaccination camp in the national capital.  According to the MP’s office, the initial target is to vaccinate 10,000 people, especially those belonging to the economically weaker section (EWS) category.

The social service organisation led by the cricketer turned politician—Gautam Gambhir Foundation (GGF)-- will hold an inoculation camp, which is likely to function from Monday.

The announcement was made by Gambhir on a microblogging site on Thursday.

His foundation primarily supports the children of martyrs; provides post-trauma counselling and funds with their education expenses. It also runs ‘Jan Rasoi’ (community kitchen), where lunch is served at Rs one. 

Gambhir told The Morning Standard that he had decided to run vaccination after seeing people struggling for the jab.  

“Every day, we see blame games on television. This is not what Delhi needs right now. All of us have to come together and save lives. We have to put everything on the line to get out of this crisis. I along with my team & the foundation have been contributing as much as we could to get people out of distress. For days there have been requests for vaccination and it was overwhelming to see many not being able to afford the jab,” said he.

His office informed that sufficient doses of Covidshield and Covaxin had already been purchased and more are being procured. Youth above 18 years of age may also get free vaccination at GGF’s camp.

“We are tying up with certain hospitals to provide vaccination with proper guidelines and the cost will be borne by GGF. We want to make our Prime Minister’s vision of complete vaccination come true and we encourage all Delhiites to come forward and get the jab. This is the only way towards a better, safer India,” added Gambhir.

During the pandemic, besides oxygen cylinders and concentrators, Gambhir’s foundation also distributed Covid management medicine Fabiflu in his constituency for which he had drawn ire of the Delhi High Court. Gambhir's announcement came on a day the drug controller told the court that the foundation was involved in ‘unauthorised purchase/procurement, stocking and distribution’ of the drug.