Kolkata: Joining the red volunteers in the COVID-19 relief work, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has undertaken the task of delivering food to Covid patients on a no-profit-no-loss principle in the state.
As the state continues to report over 1,90,000 cases of the infection and shortage of oxygen, the health infrastructure is under tremendous stress. On Saturday, the biggest medical facility treating COVID-19 patients had to refuse new admissions owing to the oxygen shortage, as the main plant of the Beleghata ID Hospital was shut down.
Against this backdrop, to help ease the stress of those who are home-quarantined, the food delivery system has been launched, which will be linked to the red volunteers who will ensure timely delivery of the meals.
As the state witnesses the destructive second wave of the pandemic, red volunteers have taken the Herculean task of providing relief in whichever possible way. CPI(M) committees and mass organisations have stepped forward to provide PPE kits and oxygen concentrators, which are being delivered by the red volunteers wherever required. AIDWA noted in its press release that amid the blck marketing of essential medical drugs and equipment, a call to the red volunteers has become the easiest way to ensure help.
Speaking about the meal delivery initiative, Kaninika Bose (Ghosh), secretary, AIDWA, told NewsClick: “When a family reports an infection, quite often, many members of the family have tested positive. It renders them helpless, unable to cook their own food. We are trying to help these people.” She added that special needs of women will also be looked after with the help of the red volunteers.
“A large number of those who have lost their jobs in the pandemic are women. AIDWA is also trying to reach out to these women and help them,” said Bose.
The organisation also plans to set up small teams to monitor health in mohallas and to check oxygen levels and temperatures of Covid patients to help them take a call on whether they may need hospitalisation.
