"Pain Back Home Hurting Us": Doctors In UK Fly Medical Supplies To India

According to sources in the High Commission of India in London, Indians in the UK have donated close to a million pounds in the last two weeks to the PM-CARES fund.

Indian-origin doctors in the UK are sending the largest consignment of advanced ventilators yet to India from Britain. This includes more than 100 non-invasive ventilators which can support a patient with oxygen without the need to incubate him or her. A collective effort from doctors, UK based charities, philanthropists and Indians settled in the UK have meant that help worth over 5 million pounds is being air freighted to India. These include the ventilators that were used by Britain during its second wave between January 2021. Kath Hope, Founder of British charity Hope 2 Sleep, arranged 1,000 oxygen cylinders, some 20,000 oximeters, air filters and other medical necessities. "We have had first-hand information of what was happening during the pandemic therefore when we saw what was happening in India it broke our hearts. We are emotional actually to be able to think we have the equipment actually even as charities raise money to be sent to people in India," she said. Airlines such as Qatar, British airways, Virgin are among others which are transporting this emergency equipment at no cost. Once it lands in Mumbai day after, industrialists who have businesses in India and the UK will take it from there. "We are grateful to Finolex industries because they are helping us with import licenses. And thanks to Ashok Leyland for giving us eight trucks to take this equipment into eight states," said Ritu Chhabria, Board Member, Co-Founder, Mukul Madhav Foundation.