Delhi Gurudwara starts free ambulance service for coronavirus patients
The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has stationed 12 ambulances across the Delhi-NCR for COVID-19 patients.
In the past few weeks, hospitals and COVID-19 care centres across India have been overwhelmed with the rising number of coronavirus patients.
A dearth of beds, PPE kits, ventilators, as well as fewer testing of healthcare workers, has put the healthcare system into chaos. In fact, getting an ambulance to transport patients has become tough.
Image: ANI
For this reason, the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) started a free ambulance service for COVID-19 patients on July 14 — the birth anniversary of one of the ten Sikh Gurus Guru Har Krishan Sahib Ji — according to ANI.
These ambulances will be stationed at 12 different areas across Delhi.
"We will provide more ambulance in the coming days. The 12 ambulances available now are equipped with all the facilities. It will remain available until we win the battle against COVID-19. People in need can contact gurudwaras nearby. We have provided information on our social media handles. Drivers and ward boys will wear PPEs. Ambulances will be available 24x7, and is free of cost," Manjinder Singh Sirsa, President of DSGMC told the Republic World.
For Sikhs, the ‘Langar’ or the community kitchen serves as a ritualistic expression of the equality of humans and holds high regard in the community. To that effect, the gurudwara committee also launched a ‘Langar on Wheels’ service earlier in June, for which it provided 15 vans.
Since it was impractical for people to find the nearest gurudwara for langar, the committee decided to set up a mobile facility and make their services more accessible, Harmeet Singh Kalka, General Secretary, DSGMC, told The Quint.
Even Sikhs living abroad in New York City, US, also set up community kitchens to feed people during the protests against the killing of George Floyd, and the subsequent Black Lives Matters movement.
About 30 cooks in Queens, New York, prepared and served more than 1.45 lakh meals in about 10 weeks.
As of July 16, Delhi has reported over 1.16 lakh COVID-19 cases, with over 3,400 deaths.
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Edited by Suman Singh