A volunteer holds a breathing mask inside a bus converted to provide oxygen (File)
A non-profit organisation has started a free service to provide oxygen support inside a specially designed bus to needy patients waiting for admission in government hospitals of Kolkata, as the demand for the life-saving gas escalated with the spike in COVID-19 cases.
At any given time, up to four underprivileged patients will be able to get the service in the bus, christened "Oxygen on Wheels", a spokesperson of the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) said on Thursday.
The bus will be stationed at one of the state government hospitals and patients will get free oxygen after being referred by a doctor of the medical establishment, the spokesperson of JITO's Kolkata chapter said.
A technician is provided by the hospital concerned for giving oxygen support to the patients inside the bus which has fans, redesigned seats to make patients feel comfortable and four oxygen concentrator machines.
The spokesperson said that the non-profit body of the Jain community is working closely with the state governments Department of Health and Family Welfare and the Oxygen on Wheels will move from one hospital to another.
Patients will get oxygen in the bus but whether they would get admission or not will be the sole discretion of the hospital concerned.
The service was launched on May 11.
"We believe that this is the time for the entire community to come together as one and support the activities of the government in whatever way possible. We are all in this fight against Covid-19 together," JITO Kolkata Chapter Chairman Rajesh Bhutoria said.
The organisation has plans to upgrade the infrastructure in the Oxygen on Wheels to provide service to six patients at a time and roll out similar facilities in the districts.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)