KARACHI: Pakistan’s leading social welfare organization, Edhi Foundation, on Friday offered to send at least 50 ambulances and other medical assistance to neighboring India where a surge in COVID-19 cases has led to a near breakdown of the nation's healthcare system.
On Friday, India reported the world’s highest daily tally of coronavirus cases for a second day in a row, surpassing 330,000 new cases amid a nationwide shortage of oxygen supplies.
“We have offered to help our Indian friends in this difficult time and can dispatch teams and other forms of medical help to the highly devastated parts of the neighboring state within two days,” Faisal Edhi who heads the charity told Arab News, saying he hoped the organization would be granted permission to save precious human lives in the region.
“We don’t need any help [from the government],” he added. “We only want permission to enter India.”
“We, at the Edhi Foundation, have been closely following the current impact that the COVID-19 crisis has had on the people of India,” Edhi wrote in a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dated April 23, Friday. “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.”
The letter added:
“As a neighboring friend, we sympathize with you greatly and during this strenuous time, we would like to extend our 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.”
Edhi said as the managing trustee of his organization, he would personally lead and manage the foundation’s humanitarian team to India.
“Our organization understands 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,” Edhi wrote. “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.”
Edhi said his teams with “necessary guidance from the local administration and police department” were ready to be deployed in any critical areas of concern at the Indian administration’s directions without any hesitation.
“We look forward to assisting you in managing the current humanitarian crisis and hope to provide our help in whatever way that we can, for the benefit of the people of India,” he added.
