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Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | ||
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Original article:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/02/prince-charles-personally-intervened-start-india-oxygen-fundraiser/
Prince Charles personally intervened to start India oxygen fundraiser The Prince of Wales encouraged the British Asian Trust to set up the ‘Oxygen for India’ appeal, The Telegraph can reveal The Prince of Wales founded the British Asian Trust The Prince of Wales, founder of the British Asian Trust, encouraged the appeal CREDIT: Chris Jackson /Getty Prince Charles personally intervened to set up a fund to supply oxygen to Covid patients in India as the British Indian diaspora called for international support to address the deepening crisis. The Prince of Wales, founder of the British Asian Trust, encouraged the foundation to set up the ‘Oxygen for India’ appeal which has raised more than £1.5 million since its launch on Monday, The Telegraph can reveal. 'He was on the phone over the weekend inspiring us and encouraging us to launch an appeal to see how we can help. I think he was one of our first donors,' said Manoj Badale, chairman of the British Asian Trust. More than 10,000 people have donated to the emergency appeal to help India as the country scrambles to secure medicine and provide hospital beds as covid cases reached a record 386,582 per day. Official reports put the country’s death toll at 200,000, but medical experts estimate they are in reality five to ten times higher. Health workers treat patients inside a banquet hall temporarily converted into a coronavirus ward in New Delhi CREDIT: AFP British Indians are watching helplessly as hospitals and crematoria in the country are overrun. Dr Lal, 59, from the North East of England, lost his 61-year-old brother-in-law on Tuesday after failed attempts to find a hospital bed and oxygen for him in Uttar Pradesh. “I think if he had oxygen on time, he would have survived,” he told The Telegraph. His other brother-in-law in Delhi tested positive for Covid at the same time but survived after managing to find an oxygen cylinder. Dr Chandrika Roysam, 61, a retired NHS doctor, says she is “living from phone call to phone call” to find out how her 82-year-old mother is faring in Bangalore. India's daily Covid-19 cases have reached a record 386,582 CREDIT: Reuters Dr Roysam says her mother fell unwell the day before she was due to receive her second jab, and tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after. “I made the incredibly difficult decision of not going, because my first instinct was to fly out. “If I went there and got Covid badly, there wouldn’t be a hospital for me to go to. “People said I would be foolish and would be creating a whole new set of problems by coming there, rather than just allowing her to slowly get better.” She added: “This has been the hardest thing for me - it’s eaten me up here for the last two weeks. All I can do is wait and see what happens to the situation day by day.” Dr Lalit Shekhar says his family desperately tried to go to India to see his father-in-law before he died of Covid-19 three days ago. The consultant anaesthetist tried to find a cremation ground from his home in Newcastle for his family in India. “I was giving instructions to my grief-stricken brother in law who was running around alone because there are curfew restrictions in Delhi. It is mayhem out there - it is very very bad.” He added: “Everybody is grieving alone and that is one of the worst things - you are on completely on your own.”
By Maighna Nanu
| 2 May 2021 • 8:00am The text being discussed is available at | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/02/prince-charles-personally-intervened-start-india-oxygen-fundraiser/ and |