Published 11:18 IST, May 22nd 2020
Social activist arranges buses for outstation patients in Delhi amid Coronavirus crisis
In the wake of lockdown due to the Coronavirus crisis, a social activist is helping outstation patients stuck in Delhi by arranging buses for them to go home.
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In the wake of lockdown due to the Coronavirus crisis, a social activist is helping outstation patients stuck in Delhi by arranging buses for them to go back to their native places. Yogita Bhayana has been arranging buses for the patients with her own money after getting the necessary permission required from the administration to take the buses to other states. She has also urged the administration to prioritize the travel of the outstation patients.
While the first batch of buses left from Delhi at around 2.30 AM on Monday, the second batch left from Delhi's Sarai Kale Khan on Thursday for their respective destinations. Speaking to the news agency, ANI, she said, "Many patients who came to Delhi for treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other hospitals, were left in the lurch when government-imposed lockdown and hospitals literally 'shut' their doors for non-COVID patients."
She further added that from day one of the nationwide lockdown, the most vulnerable group were patients who had come to Delhi for seeking treatment. "Most of these patients have no place to stay or live. We found a group in which heart patients, cancer patients, and others with burn injuries were there. Many of them were not even able to walk. They are poor and also suffer from disabilities or problems," she added.
Read: Delhi HC judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal resigns, to join as Prez of Delhi State Consumer Commission
AIIMS plans to re-start OPD services
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi has set up a committee to look into modalities for re-starting the OPD (Out Patient Department) services in a phased manner. The committee will also look to ensure the safety of non-Coronavirus patients and healthcare workers from getting any infection at the hospital. The OPD services at AIIMS were shut down on March 24.
Meanwhile, the Delhi HC also stated that AIIMS is now disbursing medicines prescribed by its doctors to the patients under its treatment from its pharmacy. A division bench of the High Court presided by Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar said, "Such disbursement should continue without endorsement in respect of the prescribed medicines for the duration for which the prescription is made."
COVID-19 in India
According to the latest update from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of total Coronavirus cases in the country has climbed to 1,123,59, including 63,624 active cases. While 3,435 deaths have been reported overall, around 345,299 people have been cured/discharged, and one person has been migrated. Meanwhile, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have the highest number of cases in the country with 39,297 and 131,91 cases respectively.
(With ANI Inputs)
11:18 IST, May 22nd 2020