Covid-19: the Indian diaspora in the Emirates is organizing to send material to India
Audio 01:14
An Indian patient breathing with oxygen.
The Indian diaspora around the world is doing everything possible to get material to the country (Illustrative image).
© NARINDER NANU / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
In India, the devastation of the second wave of Covid-19 is not without consequences for the Indian diaspora, in particular for that of the United Arab Emirates.
With 3.5 million expatriates, this community is the largest in the Gulf monarchy.
From abroad, Indian nationals therefore try to help their families.
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With our correspondent in Dubai,
Nicolas Keraudren
In Dubai, Madhur Mawandia feels helpless as the total number of coronavirus infections has passed the 27 million mark. This Indian national is from Calcutta in the east of the country. His family has been particularly affected by Covid-19: “
The current situation in India is heartbreaking. Several members of my family have been affected by the Covid. I lost my aunt. She was 69 years old and she died of post-covid complications.
"
From a distance, Madhur Mawandia therefore tried to export to the subcontinent the medical equipment which is sorely lacking in Indian hospitals despite international aid. “
I was looking for two oxygen concentrators that I wanted to send to my family in India.
But unfortunately I was not able to find one available in the market.
"
Difficulties of suppliers facing demand
In the Emirates, suppliers are struggling to meet the high demand.
Jose Sreedharan is the COO of the largest drugstore chain.
“
In the Emirates, the demand is very high.
Indian families want to send oxygen concentrators to their loved ones.
But we quickly saw a kind of shortage, because it's not something that we keep in large quantities in our stores.
"
A new order for oxygen concentrators should however replenish the stocks of pharmacies in the coming days.
More generally, from Africa to Australia, the Indian diaspora around the world is mobilizing to deliver equipment and try to provide care for their loved ones.
►Also read: Covid-19: India crosses the 300,000 dead mark
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United Arab Emirates
India
Diaspora
Health and medicine
Coronavirus