KOLKATA: American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic medical organisation in the US representing about 10,000 physicians in America, has partnered with Kolkata-based NGO Bangla Worldwide and donated 160 Covent ventilators to the state. Of these, 60 were handed over to the state government.
Veteran physician Sukumar Mukherjee, who is part of the NGO, handed one of the ventilators to health secretary NS Nigam at Swasthya Bhavan earlier this week in the presence of DME Debashis Bhattacharya for use in Covid-19 treatment. Apart from gifting the 60 ventilators to the government, it is giving out 60 more to charity hospitals. The remaining 40 ventilators will be given to private hospitals on the condition that patients requiring ventilator support will not be charged.
Justice Chittatosh Mookerjee, former chief justice of Bombay High Court who leads the Bangla Worldwide, said a committee had been formed with physicians Sukumar Mukherjee, Ashokananda Konar, Shibaji Basu and Red Cross secretary Syed Nasiruddin for transparent distribution of the ventilators. “Applications were sought from NGOs and their credentials are being checked before the critical devices are handed over to aid treatment,” Justice Mookerjee said.
Mukherjee said AAPI secretary Amit Chakraborty had assured the NGO that more such ventilators would be sent to Bengal. The portable ventilators are handy for use in ambulances to help resuscitate a patient while being transported to hospital.
