COVID-19: NGO, 100 Volunteers, Delivery Services In Gurugram Come Forward To Help With Doorstep Oxygen Delivery

Around 20 NGOs, more than 100 volunteers, and two professional delivery services have come forward to work with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the District Red Cross Society in the coming days to facilitate the delivery of oxygen cylinders for patients in home isolation.

According to officials, the two delivery services engaged in this initiative are Zomato and Delhivery.

"Different teams have been given this responsibility in different zones of the MCG. While Zomato will handle delivery in one zone and Delhivery in another, teams of the MCG and Seva Bharati Parishad will be handling this responsibility in the two remaining zones. Apart from this, if oxygen is needed in any area beyond MCG limits, teams of the MCG will handle this task. The initiative will operate on a first-come, first-serve basis," The Indian Express quoted Commissioner of the MCG, Jitendra Yadav, as saying.

He added that a separate bank account would be opened for payment under this arrangement, and the amount would be directly transferred to the bank account through a QR Code. Every agency will have a different QR code.

The officials on Monday said that oxygen cylinders had been delivered through this initiative to around 70 homes.

Officials said that the district administration has set up a cylinder for the refilling of oxygen cylinders. According to the system followed by the officials, at the time of delivery of the oxygen, the team takes a filled oxygen cylinder and gives it to the applicant and takes the empty cylinder they may have.

Yadav said that as a result of this initiative, the load of beds in hospitals would be reduced, and people will get facilities at their homes themselves.

On Saturday, the District Administration announced that a door-to-door service would be started for the delivery of oxygen cylinders in Gurugram. Patients or their attendants would have to register through a web portal, and then an oxygen cylinder would be delivered to their doorstep.

With this move, the officials expect that it would reduce pressure on hospitals and make more beds available for seriously infected patients.

Apart from this, this step will also help clamp down on black marketing of oxygen cylinders and benefit people suffering from illnesses other than COVID, who may require oxygen, said the officials.