Shimla’s Good Samaritans help recuperating patients

DELIVER MEDICINES AND HOME-COOKED MEALS AT THEIR DOORSTEP

SHIMLA: With the number of patients in home isolation rapidly increasing as the second wave of infections sweeps through Himachal Pradesh, Good Samaritans in Shimla, the capital city of the hill state, are walking the extra mile to ensure Covid patients want for nothing, be it home cooked food or medicines.

With many areas inaccessible by road in Shimla, it is difficult to reach chemists shops and eateries and as such many people are volunteering to deliver such essentials at patients’ doorstep.

Vipin Kalta, 29, a technician at a local clinical labour rotary, besides collecting patients’ blood samples at his routine job also supplies cooked food and delivers medicines to patients.

Kalta, whose entire family had been infected in 2020, says, “I go to patients’ homes to collect their blood samples and know from first-hand experience the difficulties they face when suffering from Covid. One my clients told me that he was unable to get cooked food as few restaurants in Shimla provide home delivery, so my wife and I decided to prepare food for Covid patients. I deliver food to nine patients a day.”

Katla had also donated his plasma after recovering from the infection.four days ago, Hotel Himland East proprietor Umesh Akre, 73, started a service to deliver food to Covid patients.

“My phone is flooded with requests for homemade food,” says Akre, adding, “The situation is grim.” “On the first day, we delivered food to 40 patients near the Khalini bus stand, Chotta Shimla, and Kanlog. Now, I am receiving calls from far off places requesting food,” says Akre.