Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Starts Free Ambulance Service For COVID-19 Patients

New Delhi: The Coronavirus pandemic has seen many people from different walks of life come forward to help those in distress during these very difficult times. These heroes have shown courage, empathy and set an example through their selfless acts of feeding the hungry, providing dry ration and hygiene kits to even taking on the job of cremating the abandoned dead bodies as per COVID-19 guidelines. One such group is the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). The organisation through its network of Gurdwaras in the capital feed crores during the lockdown through its langar sewa. Now the committee scaled up its efforts to help COVID-19 patients by providing them with a free ambulance service.

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On July 14, on the occasion of Guru Harkishan Sahib Ji’s Prakash Purab (birthday celebrations), DSGMC flagged of 12 ambulances to facilitate transport of COVID-19 patients to the nearest hospital. Talking to NDTV about the idea behind introducing this service, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, President, DSGMC said,

We, the 46 elected members of DSGMC were getting calls from locals telling us that ambulances are not available and asking for help. We all know that the timely availability of ambulance is crucial to saving lives. It’s then that we decided to address the problem and hired 12 ambulances dedicated to the national capital.

कोरोना वायरस की चपेट में आने वाले लोगों को जल्द से जल्द अस्पताल पहुंचाने के लिए हमने एंबुलेंस सेवा शुरू की है। यह एंबुलेंस दिल्ली के सभी गुरुद्वारे में खड़ी रहेंगी। कंट्रोल रूम में सूचना मिलने के साथ ही इस एंबुलेंस को जरूरतमंदों के पास रवाना किया जाएगा। pic.twitter.com/ToN9seeRgs

— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) July 15, 2020

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DSGMC’s ambulances are stationed across Delhi and the service can be availed by either contacting any of the Gurdwaras in Delhi or elected members of DSGMC or call the central control room which has been set-up at the office of DSGMC (9891403828/9953086923).

All the hospitals in Delhi have our numbers so they can call the central control room anytime. Our ambulances are operational 24×7 and well equipped with essentials like oxygen cylinder, stretcher, gloves, masks, personal protective equipment (PPE), pulse oximeter, wheelchair, and nebulizer, among others. To ensure safety, drivers and ward boys will wear PPEs. Yesterday, we got a call late night (1 am) and we ensured the help reached well on time. In the last two days, DSGMC has received around 15 calls, informed Mr Sirsa.

Ambulance Sewa done last night by DSGMC from Uttam Nagar to the Hospital pic.twitter.com/d8PYV9rYFP

— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) July 16, 2020

Mr Sirsa also informed that in the first phase, 12 ambulances have been rolled out but if need be, DSGMC is ready to scale up the service to even 100 ambulances.

DSGMC has been at the forefront of helping people to tide over the crisis. Earlier in June, DSGMC had started ‘Langar on Wheels’, taking their langar sewa or community kitchen beyond the walls of the Gurdwara.

Also Read: Delhi Based NGO Ensures Children’s Right To Nutrition During Coronavirus Lockdown

On June 1, 14 vehicles were flagged off to distribute Langar to the needy and helpless in different parts of Delhi with an aim to ensure that no one sleeps on an empty stomach. As part of this, trucks with food from Gurdwaras in Delhi go to different locations and provide meals to thousands of people for free. The food truck parks itself at a particular location and people queue up to get a meal.

Giving out the reason behind initiating ‘Langar on Wheels’, in a video message, Mr Sirsa clarified that when the relaxations to the lockdown were announced we got numerous calls from people stating that they are not getting food as many government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have discontinued their relief efforts. Since we believe that no one should stay hungry, the DSGMC has initiated ‘Langar on Wheels’.

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NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.