‘Gesture of solidarity’: Indian ambassador thanks Ireland for oxygen supplies

The Indian ambassador to Ireland expressed gratitude for Ireland’s “gesture of solidarity” in sending oxygen supplies to India but warned that his country was in a “grave” situation and still in need of further support.

Sandeep Kumar warned that the “alarming surge” in infections had created a huge burden on India’s health infrastructure and that the country’s government was working to deal with the crisis.

Ireland will send an emergency donation of 700 oxygen concentrators to India as part of the European Union’s co-ordinated response to help the country deal with its severe coronavirus outbreak.

The donation is being made from stocks originally purchased by the Health Service Executive for use in a field-hospital setting, as part of pandemic preparations. The devices draw oxygen from the air and deliver it to patients at more than 90 per cent concentration.

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India has seen a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in recent days, with hospitals in Delhi and across the country turning patients away due to a critical shortage of beds, medicines and oxygen.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths has spiralled, with more than 2,800 recorded on Sunday. Experts believe the true death toll is much larger, and crematoriums and burial grounds have become overwhelmed.

New variants, including the B1617 strain discovered in India, are suspected of fuelling the swell in cases. The United Kingdom and the United States have also pledged to airlift urgent medical supplies.

Neither India’s scientific experts nor government anticipated how quickly the virus would spread during this second wave, the ambassador told The Irish Times. “Nobody could have predicted this, the scale and speed at which this has engulfed India is beyond imagination.”

Widespread panic is pushing people with generally minor Covid-19 symptoms to rush to hospital, leaving those who are seriously ill unable to access medical care, he added.

“There is a scramble for hospitals. In the first wave it was older people affected but this time around it’s large sections of young people being infected and it’s happening with a ferocious speed.

“The Irish leadership has rallied around our cause and we appreciate that gesture of solidarity,” he told The Irish Times. “Every amount of aid matters. Ireland has gone out of its way to muster sources and mobilise medical equipment that will make a good amount of difference on the ground. The bilateral relationship is strong between our two countries.

“Ultimately we must all recognise that Covid has no borders and a Covid surge in any part of the world is a danger.”

Varghese Joy, a HSE nurse and national convenor of the Migrant Nurses Ireland organisation, said he had found it “distressing” and “disheartening” to watch the videos and news reports emerging from his home country.

“The whole world needs to act,” he said. “India’s situation can impact nearby countries – that double mutant variant can travel. This virus has no borders, you cannot contain it. Everyone is in danger so everyone should help.”

Mr Joy, who has lived in Ireland since 2007, said he could “feel the pain” of healthcare workers in India who do not have the resources to accept more patients into hospitals.

“It’s absolutely shocking. If you have a patient in front of you and can’t offer them a bed you feel worthless. I’ve seen lots of videos of doctors from Mumbai and Delhi crying and appealing to the central government for oxygen.”

‘Concrete support’

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said Ireland is among the first states to confirm “concrete support” for India.

“At a time of great difficulty for India, we want to show solidarity with the country and people, with whom we have strong historical and modern-day relations.” Mr Coveney said.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the oxygen machines will support frontline healthcare workers in India to deliver care to patients who need it.

“I am grateful to all those who have been working together over the weekend to make this life-saving donation happen,” he said.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien, along with the HSE and a number of other State agencies, was also working on the plan to offer assistance to India.

Mr O’Brien said the emergency donation is evidence of the Irish people’s “extraordinary generosity of spirit and clear desire to want to help our international friends”.