Hyderabad, May 23: Sahayata Trust, a Hyderabad-based NGO, on Saturday, formally commenced the distribution of nearly 400 high quality oxygen concentrators and Covid-relief apparatus.
The first consignment comprising 170 devices, the world’s largest donation of Oxygen Concentrators to any country, arrived in Hyderabad from the United Kingdom. The second consignment of 270 concentrators is scheduled for reception next week.
Since international flights are grounded between two countries, the consignment arrived on a special flight of Qatar Airways on May 22 (Friday).
These concentrators will be distributed by Sahayata Trust to different healthcare organizations in Telangana and other states. According to Sahayata Trust CEO Mr Syed Aneesuddin, “the relief effort will add oxygen to the efforts of NGOs scrambling to procure oxygen to save as many lives as they can.” There are nearly 22 different organizations including Access Foundation, Safa Baitul Maal, SDIF.He thanked the IMRC, USA.
The devices will be allocated on a per-need basis to different NGOs across Hyderabad, Lucknow, Allahabad, Delhi, Ranchi, Bhopal and other cities.
For the first time, different NGOS across international borders joined hands for the noble cause at a time when several lives are being lost across India due to shortage of Oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators during the second wave of Covid-19. The arrival of oxygen concentrators in India is a meticulously coordinated relief effort by UK-based charities managed by Indian diaspora including Maahir Charity (UK), Deccan Medical College Alumni Association (UK) and Medical Aid (UK) in coordination with IMRC, USA, the parent body of Sahayata Trust.
Noted development economist Prof Amirullah Khan, who is the coordinator for NGO network of Sahayata Trust said “this is the world’s largest donation [of Oxygen concentrators] to any NGO from a different country.” “These are high quality oxygen concentrators with dual outflow of Oxygen enabling two patients to use the same machine at a time. We are training people to use the device using the device manuals received from England. This is a daunting task to coordinate the allocation as well as train and equip the personnel to handle the device in a very short time, especially since every passing minute increases danger of loss of life for people struggling to find oxygen support.”
Statistically, the demand supply gap is huge. India needs about one lakh (one hundred thousand) oxygen concentrators. “The government has been able to import only 1000 from the USA, which means there is a deficit of 99%. In such savaging times, the import of 400 units is a small but significant effort in saving more lives”, said the former civil servant Prof. Amirullah Khan.
Telangana State Waqf Board Chairman Mohammed Saleem commenced the formal distribution of relief equipment at Sahayata Trust premises on Saidabad Cross Roads in Hyderabad,in the presence of Sahayata Trust CEO Syed Aneesuddin and Prof Amirullah Khan. Representatives of different organisations were also present on this occasion
