Sonu Sood contributed immensely to relief efforts ever since the first COVID wave hit India. During the second wave, cases hit record highs across states and many took to social media to ask for help. Sood has been amplifying pleas and helping people get access to healthcare services like oxygen and medicines. He even airlifted some critical patients for better treatment. Now, he is also collaborating with China, France and Taiwan to set up oxygen plants in India.
Sood recently informed that he will be bringing in oxygen plants from France and they will be installed in various places across India. He said in a statement, “We are bringing in oxygen plants for the people in need. We have seen a lot of people suffering because of the unavailability of oxygen cylinders. We have got it now, and are already giving it to people."
"However, these oxygen plants will not only supply to entire hospitals but will also get these oxygen cylinders filled up, which will solve a major problem of the people suffering from Covid-19," he added.
He has been working with his team to help people, and sometimes hospitals, meet COVID needs at a time when India's health infrastructure is facing a shortage of COVID related supplies and beds. "Only one to two per cent of our GDP is spent on healthcare. So, we were never prepared for a pandemic. Yes, India is a densely populated country, but that can’t be an excuse. We have to admit that we went wrong," he remarked.
The actor said that he has a zoom meeting after 20 days wherein he will discuss the logistics, and assured that we should be getting our first set of oxygen plants soon. He addressed India's response to the pandemic and said that we must prepare in advance for a scenario where a third wave hits.
"The idea is to be prepared for the third wave. We have upped the number of members on the team that is catering to rural areas so that we can reach out to everyone. A group of 400 people work on every call. We have realised that there are three major factors that people are struggling with — acquiring oxygen, hospital beds, and injections," he said.
Several celebrities have done their part to help COVID patients. Recently actor Gurmeet Choudhary launched a makeshift hospital in Nagpur called Astha Dedicated COVID Hospital, in collaboration with Dr Sayyed Wajhatali and team. The makers of Prabhas' upcoming film Radhe Shyam also donated their set property consisting of beds and oxygen cylinders to a hospital in Hyderabad.
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