These school buses will now provide oxygen to COVID patients waiting outside hospitals in Bengaluru

Queues outside hospitals to get a bed has become a common sight amid the second wave of COVID-19. People have been thronging social media with pleas of beds and oxygen for several weeks now. At that time, institutes like Greenwood High International School in Bengaluru, have planned to step up to provide oxygen support that COVID patients need through their Oxygen on Wheels initiative.

The pandemic has ensured that schools remain closed for over a year now. As such, most of the school buses have been lying unused. The school authorities have collaborated with Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in the city to convert these buses into a state-of-the-art, free oxygen-providing facilities. The buses have been modified to accommodate 12 patients at any given point in time, especially those who are waiting outside the hospitals without a bed or oxygen support. A total of five buses have been deployed for this purpose, according to a statement from the school.

All that the patient and their family need to do is provide their RT-PCR report or a doctor's prescription along with a copy of their Aadhar Card to avail the facility. Patients will be given free oxygen for two hours and will also be provided with a free nasal cannula to ensure that the oxygen flow is connected to the meter and regulator. Dr Satish Kumar Jain of Maharaja Agrasen Hospital said that depending on how the initiative is received over the next ten days, they will launch five more buses to scale up operations. Anyone who wishes to avail this service can contact the hospital's admin on 09620304864.