Edition 45
May 13, 2021
NorthernRiversTimes
Advertising Ph: 1300 679 787
SOLIDARITY WITH INDIA by Christine Tondorf FOR nine years Dr Senjeev Baweja and his wife, who is a nurse, have been looking after the Northern Rivers, but now Dr Baweja is calling on this community to support him as he tries to send much-needed medical equipment to India. Dr Baweja, who works at Lismore’s Base Hospital, is in constant touch with his ageing parents and brother and two sisters in India. The Covid humanitarian nightmare is unfolding around them. “It is pretty bad at the moment. It is a tragedy at a level that can’t be imagined,” he said. “I speak to doctor friends and nurses who are on the ground and it’s heartbreaking for them to see the devastation the virus is causing. “In contrast to the first wave, this time a lot of young people have been infected and there are many young deaths in the age group of 20 to 50
Lismore businessman Sonny Singh says the Northern Rivers Indian community has been hit hard by the pandemic crisis in India. years. This age group had been considered safe, but it’s not the case this time.” Dr Baweja said the new variant in India appeared to be highly contagious and the health system was scrambling to cope.
“In some cities you can no longer find a bed in a hospital, let alone a ventilator,” he said. “The oxygen supply is close to depleted. It’s a big country with a lot of people, a lot of patients and now a lot of
health workers have become infected and can’t work.” Dr Baweja is fundraising to send oxygen concentrators to India – machines that generate oxygen from room air and can produce one to 20 litres in a minute.
Dr Baweja wants to raise $20,000 to buy the concentrators. In the first five days after launching his GoFundMe page, he raised $6000. continued on page 4 ☛
24-PAGE PRIMEX FEATURE LIFTOUT INSIDE
Please see my contact details below:
Authorised by K Hogan MP, National Party of Australia - NSW, 63 Molesworth Street, Lismore NSW 2480