India is currently the country hardest hit by the coronavirus.

The death toll is steadily increasing and there is an acute shortage of medicine and oxygen in the country's hospitals.

People are cremated in the open street outside the hospitals, which are so crowded that they have to send seriously ill patients home.

Then the infection spreads further.

- It is chaotic to put it bluntly.

It is not just a lack of oxygen but all the kind of fundamental support that one can expect from healthcare.

Patients are sent home to die, says Parul Sharma, a human rights lawyer focusing on South Asia.

Weak health care system

According to official figures, 17.3 million corona falls have been found, but the dark figure is believed to be large.

One reason is that the countryside is not included in the country's infection reports - despite the fact that India largely consists of the countryside.

According to Parul Sharma, the pandemic has focused on India's already weakened healthcare system.

- It is said that the Indian healthcare system has crashed but there was not much to take off before.

India spends less than one percent of its GDP on health care.

There are currently 20 nurses in 10,000 Indians.

It is among the lowest levels in the world.

The government has been criticized for prioritizing religious festivals and political elections - rather than reducing the spread of infection.

- In principle, nothing has been done to prevent meetings.

Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered, says Parul Sharma.

To get help from the EU

At the same time, Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is urging the population not to "panic".

- We have to be patient.

Most people have understood over the past 15 months that you should take it easy if you suffer from the disease.

If you have patience, most people can get well by caring for themselves at home, he said in a recent statement.

The Indian government is now being forced to appeal for help from the rest of the world to tackle the acute shortage of oxygen in hospitals.

Yesterday, the United States and Germany, among others, announced that they are prepared to send oxygen and medicine to the country. Sweden has also received a direct inquiry, which is expected to be answered by MSB shortly.