Wishes and Blessings has come to the aid of underprivileged and at-risk families from day 1 of the lockdown (25 March 2020). The nonprofit organization started by serving food to homeless and daily wagers across Delhi/NCR, and gradually expanded to distribute relief to beneficiaries in 7 states across India. Wishes and Blessings is determined to reach out to all those who have been harshly affected by the lockdown, and aims to share the load with the government and other organizations working on the field.
Recently, while undertaking relief in Delhi/NCR, the team realized that there was an acute shortage of medical transportation facilities, and many patients who were suspected of being COVID-19 positive could not access testing centres. In order to address this issue, the NGO has partnered with the Delhi government and has set up WB Ambulances for COVID Relief.
Under this initiative, free transportation is provided to underprivileged COVID-19 patients. This involves transferring the beneficiaries to treatment centres, hospitals, quarantine centres, and back to their homes once the doctors deem fit. In addition, the ambulances are used to hold tests in containment zones. The vehicles are equipped with necessary medical supplies and the staff has undergone intensive training to handle this situation. Currently, the ambulances are operated for 12 hours a day, all 7 days of the week.
Said Dr. Geetanjali Chopra, Founder and President, Wishes and Blessings, “With the help of our kind-hearted donors, we have been able to reach out to beneficiaries in 7 states across India. As with other projects, we are focusing on qualitative change rather than quantitative change when it comes to the Ambulance Project. While the government has done a commendable job in setting up numerous quarantine centres across multiple locations, destitute patients cannot afford to hire a private vehicle to reach these centres, and using public transport is forbidden, for obvious reasons. It has been very heartwarming to be able to come to their aid and ensure that they are put into the right hands for their health and safety.”
The project was launched in the 1st of July, 2020 on a trial basis and in the first week of operations, the organization had provided transportation to 35 patients, and carried out tests for 20 beneficiaries. After a successful pilot and after ascertaining need on the ground, the organization has decided to formally execute and expand the project and will be launching 7 more vehicles in the month of August. The ground situation will constantly be monitored and more ambulances will be added to the fleet as and when deemed necessary.
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