Tiruppur doctor turns good Samaritan, opens 'Oxygen Pandal' for the needy

Chennai: While people have been frantically running from pillar to post to get Oxygen for the near and dear ones who are gasping for breath and stories of exploitation coming from across the country, a Doctor in Tirupur has turned Good Samaritan with his noble act.

Dr Shakthivel is running a multi-specialty nursing home, "Shakthi Hospital" in the textile capital of South India, Tiruppur for the past several years. A general physician by profession, Dr Shakthivel had compassion for the needy and those in distress and this love and care has led him to establish an "Oxygen Pandal" at his hospital premises for the sake of Covid patients who are running around for beds with oxygen facility.

When an 80-year-old woman was gasping for breath at her home in Tiruppur, her relatives and neighbours were calling various hospitals to get a bed with oxygen for her. However, the answer was negative and that there was "No Bed", a common word which people are hearing these days through the country.

However, they came to know of Dr Shakthivel's hospital and that "Shakthi Hospital" has established an "Oxygen Pandal" for those who are in need of oxygen. When they reached the hospital, it was past midnight and immediately she got a bed and oxygen was given to her. She survived.

This is one of the many cases that is being witnessed in the textile city of south India often mentioned as the Manchester of the South and several patients suffering from Covid and in search of oxygen are being benefited by the largesse of this doctor.

Dr Shakthivel while speaking to IANS said, "We have a small liquefied oxygen production unit and there was surplus oxygen and then I thought as to why don't we open a place in front of the hospital for patients who require oxygen, on the line of oxygen langars in Gurudwaras and this led to Oxygen Pandal."

He adds, "We converted our car shed into an Oxygen Pandal and metallic sheets were placed as roof and five to six beds were established for patients to take rest and get oxygen. This has helped many patients and we feel thankful to society as such for being with us in this trying and taxing moment when the whole of humankind is facing innumerable issues due to this pandemic. I feel that I could do a small part in helping people suffering from this disease within my small means."

Dr Sakthivel said that Tiruppur-based NGO, "Nattrinai foundation" and its mentor and businessman "Majestic" Krishnan has extended support to the initiative of Dr Sakthivel and has provided assistance to establish the Oxygen pandal in the hospital.

Krishnan of Nattrinai foundation who is basically a garment exporter while speaking to IANS said, "Nattrinai foundation was established recently and we are now extending whatever support we can to aid Covid patients. We supported Dr Sakthivel for providing free oxygen at his hospital premises and now we have ordered for Oxygen concentrators, five of which are to reach us on Wednesday. Hope this will also help us to provide support to more people."

The hospital produces 30 cylinders of oxygen each with a capacity of 7000 liters.

All the sixty beds for the Covid patients in the hospital are occupied and Doctor Sakthivel found that several patients were reaching the hospital for oxygen support and hence he went ahead with the project.

Dr Sakthivel said, "We do provide medicines also for the patients in Oxygen pandal and we don't charge them for oxygen or for medicines. Most of the cases are coming at night as there won't be any availability of beds at the night time and during the day after their oxygen level is stable, the family would get them beds in some hospital and this stopgap arrangement is helping patients come out of their immediate problem."

This initiative of Dr Sakthivel and Majestic Krishnan can be an eye-opener for other hospitals and philanthropists and can turn the tables against the deadly pandemic.