Anantnag: Good old religion has come to the aid of those afflicted by the novel coronavirus, as mosque committees in many parts of Kashmir have started procuring oxygen concentrators for people who cannot find space in hospitals and/or are too wary of the hospital.
One of the first and major causes of worry for coronavirus positive patients is the sudden drop in oxygen levels in the blood. A doctor at SMHS hospital in Srinagar told Kashmir Reader that it happens so of a sudden that “patients we discharge in the morning with no symptoms come running back in the evening with plunging oxygen levels”.
Besides, the doctor said, there has been an overwhelming number of patients who are being admitted with complaints of bilateral pneumonia. “It becomes a herculean task to administer oxygen to all of them, though all of them do need oxygen and urgently,” the doctor said.
To help with this, religious charitable foundations like Athrout came forward first. “We procured around 225 oxygen concentrators and they are being rented out at a nominal fee of around 50 rupees per day. People from far and wide have been reaching us for the machines and we provide it to them,” chairman of the foundation, Bashir Ahmad Nadvi, told Kashmir Reader.
Taking a cue from these foundations, the “Bait-ul-Maal” division of some masjids has come forward to procure oxygen concentrators and nebulisers to be provided on rent.
In Bijbehara area of Anantnag district, the Bait-ul-Maal of a masjid in New Colony area, which does not have a name, has purchased 7 oxygen concentrators and many nebulisers.
“We provide the concentrators to the needy on nominal rent. It has been a great initiative as we live far away from Srinagar and often precious time is lost in reaching a super-specialty hospital in Srinagar,” Farooq Ahmad, a resident of New Colony area, said.
He said that the Bait-ul-Maal of the masjid has been working for many years now and has been primarily taking care of downtrodden families in the area. “However, this now is the need of the hour and we decided to pool in some money to purchase these concentrators,” Ahmad said.
The nebulisers and concentrators will also come handy in the upcoming winter season as influenza spreads like wildfire and the elderly and children often need to be given artificial assistance for proper breathing.
Kashmir Reader also talked to the management of a masjid in Khanyar area of Srinagar, which goes by the name of Masjid-e-Abu Bakar. The masjid through its Bait-ul-Maal has procured 7 oxy-concentrators.
“We have been providing free medicine and other necessary items to the poor and the downtrodden for quite a while now. But the need of the hour is these concentrators and we have procured 7 of them,” Shabir Ahmad, a local resident, told Kashmir Reader.
He said that people from far and wide have been coming to their locality to take these machines on rent for saving their loved ones.
“I hope that other masjids also take a cue and use the money in their Bait-ul-Maal for this noble cause,” Ahmad said.
Kashmir has been battling the coronavirus pandemic for many months now, with more than 42k cases thus far and above 800 people losing their life since March due to the virus.

Suhail A Shah