Srinagar, July 06: A brainchild of Srinagar Samaritans, the Social Reforms Organisation, Kashmir (SRO-Kashmir) has become a pan-Kashmir welfare body and a beacon of hope for the needy during the tough and emergency situations.
Project Director, SRO-Kashmir, Mohd Afaaq Sayeed, said providing oxygen to needy patients is one of the focus areas and the organization provides oxygen concentrators to the patients 24/7 for the needy patients.
“We have portable oxygen concentrators with us. Recently, one Haj pilgrim took the oxygen concentrator along with him to Hajj,” he said.
“We also have special provision for the palliative care for cancer patients for beds, mattresses, wheelchairs and other requirements are provided to patients so that they do not face any kind of issue at home,” Sayeed said.
The SRO Kashmir has 800 oxygen cylinders, 400 oxygen concentrators, 100 non-invasive ventilators and vital equipment for lung disease patients.
“We dispense vital oxygen support equipment to patients under treatment at home and hospitals which relieves a sizable burden on hospitals. We have an end number of machines that are helping many people to recover from serious pulmonary ailments,” he said.
Notably, the NGO also runs a mental health program called Suicide Prevention Helpline that has now merged with J&K Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele -MANAS) cell, established at Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences.
“We are focussed on mental health. We do hold counselling sessions and seminars. We also go to families that have mental health patients and talk to them. If they need any kind of help we provide them the same,” he said.
On the other side the NGO has been playing a vital role in the burial of dead bodies both unidentified people and those people who do not have land available for the burial.
“We have a separate graveyard to bury the needy. We bury those people who do not have land available for burial. We also bury the non-locals and labourers. Police also recommends us for unclaimed dead bodies and we do their burials as well,” Sayeed said.
Not only this, notably during the previous Eid-ul-Azha, the SRO-Kashmir collected animal hides from different areas as part of Kashmir as part of its save environment initiative.
“We had opened four collection centres where we collected 3,000 animal hides and encouraged people to drop at our collection centres,” the Project Director said.
The SRO started as a localized destitute-addressing trust back in 2004 and over the years it has emerged as a full-fledged crisis-management body.
During Covid-19, it mobilized men and machinery and saved several people caught in critical situations in the valley. Initiatives like “Food for Poor” and “Oxygen Kashmir” became the most needed initiatives during the tough times.
“During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic more than 400 patients used to be on SRO’s “Oxygen Kashmir” support per day. Our ambulances cover hundreds of kilometres daily in ferrying patients to and fro, all free of cost,” he said.
The SRO Kashmir remains just a phone call away after establishing a Toll-Free number: 18001022146 and it receives dozens of daily calls.
“During the peak of the pandemic, we used to receive more than 700 daily calls on our helpline numbers and mobile phones. Saving breaths remained one of the top priorities of the organization during the second and third viral waves,” said Sayeed.
The SRO Kashmir plans to open a diagnostic lab and diagnostic centre where tests will be done at reasonable rates to needy people.
