Thirty-seven-year-old R. Seetha Devi, who helped over 800 people last year with her ‘Oxygen Auto’, is now busy taking COVID-19 patients in her free ambulance.
In 2021, after waiting for hours outside a government hospital and finally getting admission for her mother, she lost her to COVID-19. Spurred by her personal loss, Ms. Devi started an auto fitted with oxygen cylinders and helped hundreds of patients. Now, she is back in action plying a free ambulance taking patients to and from government hospitals.
“This was the van in which I brought my mother to the hospital; after she passed, we didn’t know what to do with the van and decided to convert it into an ambulance. We have so far transported close to 120 patients, from those affected by HIV to the ones needing dialysis. We have paramedic staff in the ambulance as well. This is primarily for people who cannot afford personal transport,” she says.
Napkin bank
Last year, while taking patients in and out, one thing struck her. Women and girls waiting for days together outside wards for sanitary napkins. “I decided to create a napkin bank; so, in most of the government hospitals, I send 300 sanitary napkins which will be replenished as soon as I get a call. These will be placed near the reception,” she adds.
Now, these ‘Oxygen’ autos are pressed into service to create awareness about the need to get vaccinated at the earliest; these vehicles ply in and around Mathur, Madhavaram and Kodungaiyur. “This apart, I am planning to have two more bikes which will go around 15 zones of the city urging residents to get vaccinated,” she adds.
