Now, NGO Aakhri Umeed to ferry Covid patients at just Rs11

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 28

NGO Aakhri Umeed on Friday launched an ambulance service equipped with oxygen facility which would be available to poor patients at just Rs 11 from now onwards. Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori along with eminent environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal performed the formal launching.

Since the onset of the second wave of the coronavirus, there had been an increasing demand of ambulances to ferry patients to the hospitals safely. An unreasonable amount being charged by private ambulance operators had left people hanging in balance. Also, the free ambulance service to ferry patients to hospitals remained occupied forever.

“With an alarming rate of increase in Covid cases, it was hard to see people pleading ambulance drivers to cut their cost. Hence, we decided to provide ambulance service to the needy,” said Jatinder Pal Singh, the president of the NGO, also its founder. He said the service will not only be restricted within the district, but will expand to other districts and states as well.

Jatinder Pal Singh added that to begin with just one ambulance had been started and depending on the response and demand, another ambulance would be brought into service.

Lauding the efforts of the NGO, the DC described it as a real service of the masses. He said that any needy person desirous of availing the benefits of this ambulance service could call at 9115560161. He said that in the present Covid crisis when the healthcare system was under acute pressure, the efforts of NGOs like Aakhri Umeed was a ray of hope for the masses. He also said that the work of these NGOs was acting as an inspiration for the other masses to serve the needy and underprivileged people in this hour of grave crisis.

Jatinder Pal Singh apprised the DC and Baba Seechewal about the efforts being made by the NGO for the welfare of the people. He said that the NGO had till now cremated more than 500 dead bodies of Covid infected patients besides providing relief to the family members of needy patients. Jatinder Pal Singh said that the NGO had also been providing food, medicines, and clothes to the needy people at Rs 11.

Notably, the NGO is already helping people to cremate those who succumbed to Covid-19. From bearing the cost of the PPE kits to bringing the bodies to the cremation ground, the NGO has been providing all its services for free. On an average, the volunteers of Aakhri Umeed cremate 7 to 9 bodies in a day. The NGO operates from Babreek Chowk, near the Football Chowk and the volunteers do not draw any salary.