IIT, IIM, AIIMS alumni AIR concern, set up Covid care facility in south Delhi

NEW DELHI: At a time when Delhi’s healthcare system is flailing while trying to cope with the

Covid-19 pandemic

, alumni of national institutions such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences,

Indian Institutes of Management

and Indian Institutes of Technology have supported the creation of a

Covid care facility

in south Delhi.


Currently at a strength of 80 beds, the facility will see the number going up to 200 in the coming days.


The alumni group, referred to as AIR Foundation, has collaborated with the south Delhi district magistrate’s office in creating the facility at the Jain Community Centre in Chhatarpur. The group is crowdfunding the initiative and has garnered a little over Rs 1 crore till date. “We are raising support to augment the already operational Terapanth Bhawan Covid care centre in Chhatarpur to start with and then replicate such facilities in other districts of India,” explained a group representative.

The facility became operational a few days ago with the help of the district administration and volunteers who are contributing both hard work and expertise.

What started off as an isolation centre in a hall of the Jain Community Centre when the pandemic first hit the city last year has progressed to being a full Covid care centre providing relief even to critical patients in the second wave, said a person who was watched the facility develop. She said, “It charges no money from patients, who are provided oxygen concentrators, BiPAP machines, suction machines and the necessary drugs by trained healthcare workers.”

When the second wave of infection overwhelmed Delhi, the need to transform the basic care centre into a full-fledged medical facility was quickly supported by alumni of IITs, AIIMS, IIMs and Maulana Azad Medical College and several entrepreneurs and industry professionals.

“The contact details and basic medical parameters of the patient are shared with the doctors at the care centre. The patient then gets a call from the doctor and based on the assessment of that doctor, the patient is asked to approach Terapanth Bhawan,” revealed a representative about the process for admission to the Covid care centre.

The facility discourages walk-ins to avoid chaos, but tries to arrange temporary oxygen for such patients till they are able to arrange beds in a hospital. The centre does not charge money from the patients. The representative said, “All facilities, medicines, food, sanitation, etc., are being provided free of charge. However, some necessities like particular blood tests, CT scans, etc. are outsourced and have to be paid for directly by the patient.”


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