OKHLA MOSQUES PITCH IN TO HELP SET UP ISOLATION FACILITY FOR COVID PATIENTS

As coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases continue to overburden city hospitals, committee members and imams of mosques in Jamia Nagar are looking at starting isolation facilities for Covid-positive individuals in the neighbourhood. One such facility will become operational in Jamia Nagar on Wednesday.

The move comes days after Delhi Waqf Board chairman and Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan convened a meeting of imams and appealed to mosques to render services for battling Covid-19 with the support of residents.

Mohd Arif Jamal, the imam of Islah Masjid, said that the mosque, along with Jama Masjid of Zakir Nagar, will be starting an isolation facility from the premises of a school in the neighbourhood.

The 30-bed quarantine facility will be ready by Wednesday, Jamal said, and is meant for those who do not have adequate space at home to isolate themselves or are in urgent need of medical attention.

“Along with members of the mosque committee and locals, we have started work on developing the quarantine facility. The facility will operate out of a school and will open on Wednesday. We are arranging nebulisers, oxymeters, and medicines that will be administered under the watch of doctors from the area,” said Jamal.

Patrons of the mosques have volunteered to give medical assistance, besides taking care of the day-to-day management of the facility. “A number of doctors from the area have also pledged to dedicate two to three hours daily for the facility. Besides these doctors, we have also reached out to other doctors in the neighbourhood who will step in as and when required,” said Jamal.

He said the mosques have already procured beds and the other facilities will be in place by Wednesday. He said that the committee was in touch with MLA Khan, who has promised help with oxygen cylinders going forward.