Gift of the Givers to provide aid
LOCAL humanitarian relief organisation, Gift of the Givers, will be providing aid to India, which is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, said the organisation was in discussion with the Indian government and the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation to intervene decisively, practically and effectively.
“The request is very simple, ‘we need oxygen and oxygen delivery devices, we have everything else’. Oxygen provision is extremely complicated and is in reality a government to government responsibility,” he said.
Sooliman said the world was watching a catastrophe unfolding in India.
“A Covid-19 tsunami has struck the country, the official figures nowhere near the real tragedy, insiders affirm. Health-care workers and the population are on edge, exhausted and burnt out. They need humanity to respond.
“The public can play a role in the purchase of oxygen concentrators, which Gift of the Givers is busy procuring. But the most critical, life-saving intervention is the CPAP machines that Gift of the Givers delivered during South Africa’s second wave. Healthcare workers named it the ‘life saver’. Intense discussion on registration, permits, procurement, acceptance, etc are being discussed,” said Sooliman.
He said they had so far purchased the first 100 oxygen concentrators.
“We have the first 1 000 scrubs ready. They asked for steroids and pulse oximeters and we have that too.
“We are busy sorting out the clearances and paperwork. We also want to fill the container fully. The assistance required has no defined quantity. Right now it's unlimited,” he said.
The organisation has invited people to assist India by making monetary contributions to purchase oxygen concentrators initially followed by the purchase of CPAP machines, if the important policy issues around it could be resolved.
Contributions can be made to Gift of the Givers, Standard Bank, Pietermaritzburg, account number 052278611, branch code 057525, ref. India.
Email the deposit slip to donations@giftofthegivers.org for acknowledgement purposes.