The second wave of COVID19 has left many families grieving for their loved ones and it would be many years before they would be able to accept the loss. There are many, however, who believe that it is time for each one to contribute to ensure that we are able to save more lives if the third wave comes.
“For those of us who were coordinating relief and doing what we could to save lives, the last two months have been a nightmare. People with money, people without money, everyone was hit hard and no matter how much you were willing to spend, getting medical care was a serious challenge. The problem was much bigger for the working class as their options were limited and government facilities were overwhelmed with cases,” says Dr Deepak Shokeen, a young doctor from Gurugram, who turned social entrepreneur and plans to start a small not-for-profit hospital.
Recalling his journey, Dr Shokeen says while he has always been socially active, the magnitude fof suffering in the second wave of COVID forced him to act. “I had finished my MBBS and was in the middle of my admission process for higher education when COVID struck. I helped provide food and other support to people in the first wave but my being a doctor helped in the second wave,” he said.
Dr Deepak started working with Team Deepender, led by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda and inundated by requests for help starting early April. “It was overwhelming initially as you were getting a request every five minutes and we spend hours on the phone coordinating relief. Getting Plasma donors was the most difficult part and I had to reach out to my friends, seniors from medical college and several others to identify cured patients and then motivate them to donate,” said Dr Shokeen, who had coordinated more than 80 plasma donations in April and May.
While the situation has improved, Dr Shokeen believes that it has pushed him into doing more. “As people who have seen this closely, I can say that we would not like to see a similar situation when the third wave comes. We have to start preparing now. I have decided to set up a small 50-bed hospital which would provide quality care for the economically weaker sections. We might not be wipe out the shortage of medical infrastructure problem but atleast we would have done our bit,” he says, hoping that the new facility would be functional in the next few months.
“This is a difficult time for all of us but our humanity is tested in times like these. Every little thing counts,” he said.