Amid the coronavirus chaos, Twitter has turned into the best platform to respond to the SOS requests of people in distress as netizens and social activities, across the nation, circulating these messages in every nook and corner of the country.
"As there is total chaos and confusion across the country, people are using social media to respond to the requests of the needy people at this crucial time", Dr. Manish Jangra, who is managing official handle of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), told International Business Times, adding, "Twitter is helping a lot these days. People are tagging some patients in need to hospitals or some NGOs".
"Due to inhuman attitude being adopted by the management of different hospitals, friends and family members of needy patients are using social medial platforms, especially Twitter to raise the demands oxygen, ventilators, hospital beds, plasma and medicines", Dr. Jangra said.
Dr. Jaswant Singh Rissam, a social activist, is using Twitter as a means to provide help to the needy across the country by amplifying the SOS of patients' family members.
"Not even people are seeking help for medical assistance, even some needy persons are in a dire need of food", Singh, told International Business Times, adding that "through social media, we circulated demands of many people across the country and helped them to get medical help as well as food and other essentials."
"We are receiving SOS from across the country to help the needy people", Rissam said and added that apart from family members of patients some people were seeking help for providing essential commodities to their parents.
Amplifying SOS requests
"Apart from trying our best to respond to peoples' SOS we also retweet same requests to amplify the same", Dr. Jangra said, adding, "We are also providing them concerned authority's contacts".
The former chief minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah, who has quarantined himself in his home after tested positive, is busy on Twitter to amplify all such SOS. During the last three days, Omar Abdullah has circulated scores of such SOSs through his official Twitter handle.
Kushagra, an engineering student, who is part of the social group 'Humans for Humans' is of the opinion that during this crucial time Twitter has become ground zero for all needy people.
"Even management of some hospitals are using Twitter to send SOS, seeking oxygen", he pointed out.
"Although ours' is a small group we are receiving SOS from everywhere, even from outside the country to help the people in distress", he told International Business Times, adding, "We have created groups across the country to coordinates with hospitals and suppliers to verify the number of beds available and status of oxygen."
