A Hove hospital consultant has raised thousands of pounds to send hundreds of oxygen machines to India to help medics there tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Yousufuddin Shaik has spent the past month fundraising and working with local charities and Medical Aid International to refurbish 400 oxygen concentrators to help save lives in Hyderabad.
The 43-year-old orthopaedic surgeon is also sending 400,000 face masks and 10 CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines which help breathe while asleep.
Mr Shaik, who works at the Montefiore Hospital, in Hove, where he specialises in foot and ankle surgery, raised almost £15,000 through a JustGiving page.
The surgeon, who comes from Hyderabad, said: “We have had donations from family, friends and work colleagues. It has been amazing.
“I have been very concerned for my family but when you keep seeing those video clips on television of what is happening in India and people dying just because of a lack of oxygen … I had to do something.”
Mr Shaik’s parents, in-laws and other relatives still in Hyderabad, which has a population of about seven million and is the capital of Telangana state.
The first batch of equipment was due to be flown from Gatwick at the weekend, with a second flight to follow.
Mr Shaik has been in daily contact with his Deccan Alumni Association in Hyderabad – a team of doctors working with local charities to ensure the supplies reach the right people.
He has also had support here from Maahir, an organisation of professionals from the Hyderabad area who live in Britain.
Mr Shaik said: “There have been two problems out in India – one is the lack of oxygen and the other is the black market trade of oxygen concentrators.
“Together myself, my colleagues and local charities have put in stringent measures to makes sure these concentrators reach the people and the hospitals which need them.
“Four hundred oxygen cylinders is not a lot but each one will help more than one life.”
Alongside his charitable work, Mr Shaik has a clinic at the Spire Montefiore Hospital, in Hove, specialising in trauma injuries to the foot and ankle and keyhole surgery for sports injuries.
He is also a consultant at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust which runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton.
To donate, click here.
