Rotary sets up war room,answers 2,000 calls a day

Volunteers are providing information and helping people cope with fear and panic

Elizabeth Cherian Paramesh

A Covid war room set up by Rotary District 3190 is getting about 2,000 calls a day.

Brainchild of B L Nagendra Prasad, Rotary district governor, it works 24x7 with 250 volunteers. They provide information about hospital beds, ambulances, and medicines.

The second wave is triggering panic, says Nagendra Prasad. Rotarian counsellors, who work around the clock at the virtual war room, are helping people cope with it, he told Metrolife.

The District is also in the process of starting two 100-bed hospitals in Dooravaninagar and Malleswaram. It will have oxygen and ICU beds.

“Some Rotarians are in touch with doctors in the US, who are willing to come in batches of 10 and 20 to work at the two hospitals for two-and-a-half weeks,” he says.

The BBMP has been appreciative of the war room’s efforts, says Elizabeth Cherian Paramesh, organising secretary of Rotary District 3190 Conference.

During the first wave, the team had started a Rotary Covid hospital for BMTC and KSRTC staff at Basaveshwara Nagar. “We ran the facility till January 15 and wound it up when the cases began to slow down,” Elizabeth says. The War room team is led by Nagendra Prasad, Dist Secretary Srinivasamurthy, Director Kiran Kumar and Rtn Karthik Kittu. This team is collaborating with government departments in data collection, authentication and collation.

Contact Rotary war room

Contact: 9811804401 or email [e-mail]

Website covid19.rotarydistrict3190.org

Resources
- https://vcc.socit.org/

War room functions

Counselling to patients and their families.

List of verified equipment and device sources.

Real-time information about beds, plasma donation, ambulances, oxygen, medicines.