Bengaluru Health Volunteer Breaks Down as the City Gasps for Life

Ameen Mudassir, a Bengaluru based activist was overwhelmed by COVID-19 affected people’s pleas.

Ameen Mudassir, a health volunteer of Bengaluru, broke down requesting people to stay at home in view of the COVID-19 new wave. 

Erum Gour/The Quint

Ameen Mudassir, a health volunteer who founded COVID Helpline Bangalore broke down in a video that went viral on 19 April.

“I just cannot control my emotions and I am sharing with you the hard reality. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc in the city. There is absolute chaos at hospitals. People who are in ICU are being asked to leave because the oxygen supply is not there in these small hospitals. People are not able to find an ICU bed even after calling 50 to 70 hospitals. There are queues outside hospitals,” he said on camera.

While Mudassir’s video has revealed the ground situation in Bengaluru, where the total number of active COVID-19 cases have reached 1.42 lakh, health department of Karnataka is in denial.

Dr K Sudhakar, health minister of Karnataka, told media persons on 19 April, “There is no dearth of oxygen. But there are some logistical issues which we are sorting out. We have called a meeting with industries minister and all producers and suppliers of oxygen. We will sort out the issue. Oxygen will not be an issue.”

Mudassir, in tears, told people to stay at home and asked the government to step in.

In the last two, three days we are receiving calls from families who are literally begging to us. Crying and asking, ‘Sir, get us one bed. My mother is dying. My son is dying. Get us one injection of Remdesivir’. We did not want this for Bengaluru. My humble request to all of you, every Bangalorean, Please, please be at home.

Ameen Mudassir

The health minister thinks that lockdown is a good idea. “It is a good move to break the chain. We all know it is not rocket science. If you want to temporarily break the chain, 14 days of lockdown will be essential,” he said.

Will Karnataka impose a lockdown?