Political Activist Sujata Pandey stepped up to help the needy in the recent oxygen and bed crisis in India

Sujata Pandey

New Delhi [India], May 31: India battled with severe oxygen and hospital beds crisis in the past month. Relying on social media leads became a necessity for family members. At this point, there were no barriers. Everyone was helping everyone.

Political and social activist, Sujata Pandey, stepped in to help people acquire medicines, oxygen, beds, and support to go through this crisis in her capacity.

Sujata says, "Last year when people would call me, they just needed to talk to someone. However, since the past month, things have just escalated. There are SOS calls from everywhere. My social media is full of requests. At the same time, there are a lot of leads. I've been able to match those leads to the people and continue to do so."

Known for her meticulous and thoughtful unraveling of various political and social issues, Sujata Pandey is a regular media panelist. She is a gender equality advocate and regularly shares her opinions and solutions to bridge the gender gap. Her thoughts have gathered national attention and sometimes, criticism.

As of late, Sujata has been collaborating with various leads generated by social media groups and is helping those in need. From fulfilling plasma needs to acquiring ventilators, cylinders, hospital beds, medicines- she is on to it all. Her process involves a lot of multitasking: dealing with the family members, rendering help and support, and checking up as well. She is leaving no stone unturned.

Sujata Pandey says that the oxygen shortage poses a huge challenge as oxygen therapy is crucial for severe COVID patients and it's also difficult since oxygen producers are primarily based in East India, while there is a soaring demand in almost every part of the country. Sujata has been in constant coordination with families over WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Not one message is left unread. Every message is taken care of.

Sujata Pandey remarks, "I have the reach and potential to connect people to resources, so I thought I should put it to some use. It is inspiring to see a sense of solidarity among citizens. It is also a grim reminder that we are all on our own, even more reason for us to come together."

She further says, "While many Indians have experienced the crisis caused by the second wave on a personal level, they have also been reporting high levels of stress, anxiety, and feelings of helplessness. People are going through grief, trauma, PTSD, and they don't know how to make sense of it. It is a terrifying atmosphere around us. Therefore, it's imperative to come up with a sense of camaraderie at this moment. Because these are moments of collective empathy of the society: moments which are missed by the media."

Sujata Pandey regularly documents her opinions and reviews everyday political decisions and movements. She can be reached and followed at her website www.sujatapandey.com and her Facebook @IamSujatapandey and Twitter handle (@sujatapandeyb)