India saw an exceptional demand for medicinal oxygen during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thousands of patients were gasping for breath, and their caregivers were frantically searching for an oxygen cylinder.
Seetha took her 65-year-old dialysis patient mother, Vijaya, to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital when she caught COVID-19. They had to wait several hours outside the hospital since there were no vacant oxygen beds.
“We had to wait for over 12 hours to find an oxygen bed for my mother. We were transferring her from one ambulance to another because the oxygen levels in the vehicles were critically low. By the time she succumbed to the virus,” Seetha said.
Seetha Devi, a 36-year-old from Chennai, decided to do something that could save lives.
“My mother’s life could have been saved if she had been given oxygen immediately. I don’t want anybody else to go through what my mother did. This is why I planned to supply oxygen outside the hospital through an auto-rickshaw.”
Seetha said, speaking to Life Beyond Numbers.
She has saved over 800 lives starting from May with her oxygen auto-rickshaw and has provided the service for free.
Seetha also operates the Street Vision Charitable Trust, a non-profit organization. She arranged an auto-rickshaw via her charity, equipped it with an oxygen cylinder, and installed a flow meter.
Since May 5, her ‘Oxygen Auto’ has been parked in front of RGGGH from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sarath Kumat and Mohanraj, two volunteers, assist Seetha in administering oxygen to Covid-19 patients. Any patient who requires oxygen is transported to the vehicle, where a medical team will assist them.
Also, read: This Man Providing FREE Oxygen Ambulance Sewa Despite Adversities Is A Torch For Humanity
Every day, at least 25-30 people obtain oxygen assistance from her auto-rickshaw, for which Seetha invests an average of Rs. 1,000, she claims. She spends an extra Rs. 250 for an oxygen mask that she arranges for each patient’s safety.
“I answer the phone 24/7, in case someone needs oxygen. My volunteer team and I arrive as quickly as possible, make the patients sit inside the auto, and give them oxygen.”
She has now turned two more autorickshaws into oxygen delivery vehicles.
Seetha has been using her autorickshaw to carry the bodies of unidentified COVID-19 victims to the burial site, in addition to supplying oxygen. She has also installed sanitary napkin dispensers in ten hospitals throughout Chennai and feeds food to the poor in her neighborhood.
Also, read: The Man Who Cremated 4,950+ Unclaimed & Unidentified Dead Bodies And Serving Humanity
“Throughout COVID-19’s second wave, numerous people are terrified and unable to obtain the necessary supplies. I feel obligated to assist them in any way that I can. I’m delighted that my endeavors have allowed me to save a few lives,” Seetha said.
Seetha demonstrated tremendous fortitude while she was at one of her lowest times in life and decided to serve others. Her unwavering commitment to helping others is a source of true insight.