Volunteers set up free medical camp at Shaheen Bagh

New Delhi: Shaheen Bagh, which has become the latest hub of peaceful protests against CAA and NRC, after people started sleeping on roads in protest, a medical camp has been set up by a group of volunteers to help people in need.

As protesters slept on the roads and got exposed to the cold weather, many started suffering from fever and cough. Speaking to Millennium Post, the coordinator of the medical camp, Vaibhav said, "When the protest started we visited the place initially and witnessed that a lot of people were suffering from extreme cold, fever, and cough due to exposure to such weather, which is when we thought of starting a medical camp here."

Vaibhav along with a few friends coordinated with doctors all over the Delhi, who readily volunteered their time for the camp. "When we realized that a medical camp needed to be set up because a lot of people were suffering from different ailments, we contacted some organizations and doctors. However, a lot of doctors all over Delhi started coming here on their own accord," he said.

How does it work

As the whole medical camp is volunteer-based, people from different walks of life have come for help.

"There are volunteers who are working on the ground here. There are doctors here. People like me are facilitating and bringing all this together," said Vaibhav.

Doctors, from various organizations have volunteered to help, who work in shifts. "The doctors come in different shifts, while two to three doctors are always here," said a volunteer.

The camp is set up from 4 pm till 10 pm. "Every day we are trying to run this camp between this time and arrange for a doctor if someone's shift ends. So, we are coordinating everything," added Vaibhav.

Medical expenses

The medical camp has been running on donations and volunteer basis work. "We are not taking monetary help from anyone and have asked people to donate. We have a list of medicines that are required here and we give it out."

The list is circulated almost every day. Besides cold, many injured people also came to the camp, according to the volunteers. "People who were present at the December 15 agitation and have some injuries, we are also treating them here as much as we can," said Vaibhav.

As protests seem to continue at Shaheen Bagh and goes on throughout the day and night, the medical camp is a relief for many people.