As India reported the world’s highest daily tally of coronavirus cases for the second day on Friday, surpassing 330,000 new cases amid a nationwide shortage of oxygen supplies, across the border in Pakistan, people took to Twitter in solidarity, with #IndiaNeedsOxygen becoming a top trend.
Social media users came together in solidarity with India and called for the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan to help.
Faisal Edhi, son of renowned philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and chairman of the Edhi Foundation, penned a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday in which he expressed his concern on the Covid-19 crisis underway in India and offered his help in confronting the epidemic.
“We, at the Edhi Foundation, have been closely following the current impact that the Covid-19 crisis has had on the people of India. We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely,” said Faisal in his letter.
He said the Edhi Foundation sympathised with India during this difficult time and offered help in the form of “a fleet of 50 ambulances along with our services to assist you in addressing, and further circumventing, the current health conditions”.
Faisal personally offered to lead and manage the humanitarian team from his organisation, said the letter.
It added that the Edhi Foundation understood the gravity of the situation and “we wish to lend you our full support, without any inconvenience to you, which is why we will arrange all the necessary supplies that our team needs to assist the people of India.”
“Importantly, we are not requesting any other assistance from you, as we are providing the fuel, food, and other necessary amenities that our team will require. “Our team consists of emergency medical technicians, office staff, drivers, and supporting staff,” he explained.
Faisal said that in order to implement the proposed service, permission to enter India was requested as well as any necessary guidance from local administration and the police department. “We are willing and ready to deploy our team into any critical areas of concern at your direction without hesitation,” he said.
“We look forward to assisting you in managing the current humanitarian crises, and hope only to provide our help in whatever way that we can, for the benefit of the people of India.”
A press release from the organisation added that Faisal would depart with his team of volunteers as soon as he received permission.
“Thoughts and prayers are with #India — heart wrenching stories and visuals,” said journalist and policy analyst Raza Rumi. “Hope the situation improves soonest. I am not sure what #Pakistan can do given the rising #covid cases but whatever is possible should be offered sans politics.”
Deaths in India the past 24 hours jumped to a record 2,263, the health ministry said, while officials across northern and western India, including the capital, New Delhi, warned that most health facilities were full and running out of oxygen. TV channels showed footage of people with empty oxygen cylinders lining up outside refilling facilities, hoping to save relatives in critical care in hospital. People also turned to Twitter to crowdsource help for oxygen cylinders, hospital beds and other requirements.
