Call to donate surplus medical supplies, medicines for needy

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 12

Urging people, who have recently recovered from Covid, to donate the surplus medical equipments required for its treatment, including oxymeters, thermal scanners and surplus prescribed and unprescribed medicines, FICCI FLO is collaborating with the Health Department to collect and distribute the supplies to needy. The ‘Pass the Pill’ campaign is aimed at ensuring that those in need of Covid-related treatment supplies are not denied due to reported shortage in the market.

Manjot DHillon, chairperson, FICCI FLO, said the first consignment of collected medical supplies was today handed over to officials. “The collected material through our drive contains oxymeters and medicines that were sent to Gurdaspur and Dhaliwal, where they would be distributed to public health centres. The initial panic regarding Covid had created a problem of bulk-buying and hoarding of such medical equipments. We are asking people to donate voluntarily. We have also set up a oxygen concentrator bank, where we have already received two oxygen tanks donated by a woman from Batala,” she said.

Dr Yukti Gupta, from Dr Ved Gupta Hospital and Raminder Grover, administrator, Preet Hospital, are also collaborating for the donation drive. “Most people are not being able to procure oxymeters, thermal scanners, and thermometers in market or online due to reported shortage that happened as many panic-bought such medical goods even when they did not need it. This has only resulted in further panic, especially for those who have tested positive. We have recently sent oxymeters and medicines to places like Delhi, as people in need had contacted us for help,” said Raminder Grover. The volunteers can drop the donations at Dr Ved Gupta Hospital and Preet Hospital that have created specific storage facility for donations.

“The medicines, including unprescribed drugs and prescribed drugs, like FAbi Flu, which is being used for Covid treatment will be handed over to the Health Department officials for further distribution. Something that might be lying discarded in your drawer could be a lifesaver for someone else,” said Dr Yukti Gupta.