EEMA’s Silent Covid Warriors: Vipul Pandhi

Industry Watch | May 17, 2021 | Feature

Vipul Pandhi EEMA

For the third day in a row, Delhi recorded less than 10,000 fresh Covid19 cases on Sunday, 16 May 2021.  According to the Delhi government’s health bulletin, the capital registered 6,456 cases on the day, with the lowest positivity rate in a month at 10.4 percent.

The days prior saw much higher numbers even as heart wrenching scenes played out on TVs across the country. Relatives of patients struggling for oxygen were in focus, as were hospitals sending SOSes for oxygen on social media.

It was on 29 April, when Covid19 cases in the national capital region were on the rise, that the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) set up a 24-hour helpline called the 'EEMA 24 Hours Oxygen Support Helpline for Delhi NCR’. The task was to provide real-time information on availability of oxygen cylinders and refiling to Covid19 patients across New Delhi-NCR.

Running the programme was Vipul Pandhi, with a team of 40 fellow volunteers, of which almost half were working on the ground.

On the launch of the helpline, Pandhi said, “We started working on the ground when the pandemic became really intense. There was a state of panic. But it takes a lot of research in the entire process. One cannot find information about oxygen supply centres on Google. All the oxygen supply plants in Delhi are in industrial areas like Mayapuri, Mundka, Naraina, etc. We deployed volunteers on the ground who were present outside these oxygen supply centers to provide real-time updates about the availability.”

"By the virtue of us being professional event managers, we know how to micro-manage and thus it helps in coordination between large numbers of people at a time. We have made specific Facebook groups through which we share information about the verified oxygen suppliers,” added Pandhi.

Volunteers identified 39 oxygen supply centres across Delhi NCR. The initiative not only saved lives but also the time of relatives of Covid19 patients. During the time of fake news and unverified messages, this EEMA volunteer group has been doing the invaluable job of providing accurate and updated information about oxygen cylinders in Delhi-NCR.

Volunteers worked in shifts to attend phone calls. There was another team verifying leads on the ground and yet another stationed at various refilling units.

“We got more than 1,150 calls on the first day. In three days, we got more than 3,200 calls only for oxygen. This highlights the magnitude of the problem,” explained Pandhi.

Recently, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain appreciated EEMA’s efforts for extending a helping hand to the government during the second wave of the Covid19 pandemic.

The oxygen helpline was active until 16 May 2021. Pandhi and team are  now looking at new focus areas including fundraising to create more Covid care facilities with oxygen beds run by an expert team of doctors. They are looking at helping people who have recovered from Covid, connecting with families who have lost their earning member and skilling these families to be able to earn their living. Besides which, the intent is to help eligible beneficiaries get support from the government as per the announced Covid relief schemes.

A post on Pandhi’s Facebook page from 16 May gives us an understanding of the spirit with which the volunteers are engaged in fighting the second wave.

It reads (reproduced in part):

“Request came from someone in US for helping someone in Jammu to someone in Delhi who got help from someone in Mumbai to get the job done.

“Feel happy to have played some part in that chain of goodness."

“Let’s keep this chain going, getting bigger & bigger, we need this today more than ever.”

After running the 'EEMA 24 Hours Oxygen Support Helpline for Delhi NCR’ from 29 April to 16 May, a team of volunteers across the national capital region is gearing up for further relief work.

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