BITS Alumni Support Pilani Community Fight Covid
13 July 2021
It is common for alumni to help their alma mater, but BITS alumni have set a distinct example to help out the community beyond their campus walls.
When Pilani community needed to brace for its fight against Covid, BITS alumni stepped in – through several acts of philanthropy and a large number of alumni raised critical funds for supporting daily wagers, life-saving equipment such as concentrator, ventilator, and an entire Oxygen plant, at the Birla Sarvajanik Hospital, in Pilani. Norton Kothari (64 Batch), along with Trillion Health Partners Foundation, Canada donated 2 life-saving ventilators to the hospital. Kothari has also donated several concentrators, ventilators and other medical equipment and has funded for setting up 3 Oxygen plants in Community Health Centres in Churu district of Rajasthan and another 2 plants in Civil Hospitals in Assam through donations of more than Rs 2.50 Crore.
Prof. R N Saha, Acting Vice Chancellor admired the various initiatives taken up by BITS Alumni to respond to the challenge posed by COVID -19 and appreciated the efforts been put in by Birla Sarvajanik Hospital to upgrade the facilities to take care of Covid patients. Prof. Sudhirkumar Barai, Director - Pilani Campus and Prof. Arya Kumar, Dean Alumni Relations added, “BITS alumni were also involved in relief work throughout India. Countless volunteer ran helpline in providing accurate information regarding plasma donors, medicines, and hospital beds. A lot of alumni formed groups and actively participated in either volunteering work or raised funds for their respective districts and states.”
At the commissioning of the ventilators received from BITS alumni, Dr. R. K. Jain, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Birla Sarvajanik Hospital said, “We are thankful to BITS Alumni for extending multiple support including ventilators to our hospital. This gesture of alumni will definitely help us in providing better services to the patients at our hospital”