COVID Warrior: 34-Year-Old Doctor Returns From US To Help India In Fight Against COVID-19
After working as a frontline worker in New York, Dr Harmandeep Singh Boparai returned to his hometown, Amritsar to help with the growing number of COVID-19 cases.? Dr Boparai began by imparting training to the nurses and doctors regarding the COVID protocol. The 34-year-old doctor, who is a specialist in anaesthesiology and critical care, is currently working with Doctors Without Borders at a 1000-bed hospital in Mumbai
At the Townhall, Dr Boparai told the Banega Swasth India Campaign Ambassador, Amitabh Bachchan, that we have been fighting this war, against an invisible enemy for more than a year now and it's a global war. "Whether the front is New York or back here at home in Amritsar or Mumbai, it's the same fight," he said.
Dr Boparai also said that with all his experience of fighting the pandemic in New York, he wanted to also help his own country. "If I weren't able to bring my experience back home to India, to my people at a time of crisis, it wouldn't have been worth it so it was really a no-brainer to come back since things got so bad here during the second wave."
Further discussing the difference between his COVDI duty in New York and in Mumbai, Dr Boparai said that the actual day-to-day is vastly different. He said, "We know the healthcare infrastructure is very different in New York versus in many parts of our country but there are so many similarities. One of the things you quickly learn is that we all here share the same humanity and when you look in someone's eyes especially your patients or your colleagues and see them at their most vulnerable then you get inspired to see them as you and you transcend the fear and that's one of the great lessons that we have learned across and it is one of the great honors of my life to work with people who in some cases literally given their lives to help others and I don't think there is any greater service than that."
Nearly 20 lakh children live on the streets of India, without an identity, a name to call their own, a place to call home, sleeping on empty stomachs for days and nights. These twenty lakh are children, who have dreams, who have rights, who are our tomorrow. They are living in the shadows today.
During these unprecedented times, not everyone can afford the privilege of social distancing. And not everybody can stay home during the lockdown, simply because they don’t have a home. Those living in poverty are extremely vulnerable, struck with a sudden lack of funds, food, mobility and a struggle for survival. And, as with all humanitarian crises, it is the children who have been affected the most.
It is always the children on the street who are subjected to some of the harshest realities of life. Today they are battling a catastrophic crisis, and it’s time we step in to protect them.
As a part of our COVID-19 response, Save the Children is working across various regions and has already directly reached over 18,000 children and adults to cover their basic needs. The organisation is ensuring their daily needs and their dignity and hygiene are also being cared for. Save the Children has identified 2.5 lakh children in cohorts, across 10 cities in India. Reaching out to these children with emergency relief is a top priority. But this cannot be done alone.
Save the Children and NDTV join hands to bring focus to the lives of children living in street situations. As India fights the Coronavirus, we must not forget one of the most marginalised and excluded groups whose lives have been long ignored – street-connected children. The 21-day campaign will generate public interest and raise funds to ensure these 20 Lakh+ children who live, earn, sleep and eat on our streets are cared for and protected. Amidst the crisis the world is facing, they are most vulnerable, exposed to infection and disease.