In a heartwarming gesture of humanity, India and Australia recently came together to airlift 25-year-old student Arshdeep Singh from Melbourne to Delhi. Singh is suffering from a kidney disorder and was not able to come back home because of the COVID-19 travel restrictions in Australia.
However, when authorities from both countries learned the nature of his ailment and how he needed to get back home, operations soon went underway to facilitate his return. Flight number 111, operated by Qantas was used to specially airlift him to Delhi. He arrived home on Monday, after which he was taken to Gurugram's Medanata hospital for further treatment.
Singh was the sole passenger on the flight. "I would like to thank Indian and Australian governments for bringing me back to my home country safely," Arshdeep told ANI after landing at Delhi.
Singh, who is suffering from renal failure, had moved to Melbourne in 2018 to pursue his higher education. He went to a local hospital in Melbourne on 8 June when he found out his condition was serious.
His mother, Inderjeet Kaur expressed her delight at her son's return, and said, "I'm speechless, I want to thank the Indian government, Prime Minister Modi, the Australian government, Australian doctors who started the dialysis treatment. Almighty's grace was there. I'm thankful to all those who helped bring my child to me."
Here is what Arshdeep said about his journey back home at the Delhi airport:
Sikh leader Manjit Singh GK shared the news on Twitter and said, "Glad to learn that Arshdeep 25Yr #Indian #student in #Australia diagnosed with chronic renal failure has been airlifted from #Melbourne & en route to #Delhi. Thanks to @dfat @MEAIndia & @PSCINDIAN for facilitating his repatriation thru a special flight of @Qantas dedicated for him."
Manjit Kaur even spoke about Arshdeep's condition and said, "His heart is only 20 per cent with an ejection fraction. The family were in a state of shock and we have no place to go because there was Covid going on. Hospital also suggested an organ transplant. This is a very serious case."
Arshdeep's mother was given a visa to travel to Australia on 17 June, but was unable to do so since there were no flights scheduled for the country. It was then that the authorities requested the Australian government to send Arshdeep back home.
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