New Delhi: As the protest at Jantar Mantar continues, volunteers from different parts of the country have come together to provide medical aid to protesters. Multiple organisations, along with volunteers, have set up medical camps at the site, especially after the July 20 Sansad Chalo march.Many of the protesters injured in the police lathicharge are being treated in these camps and they are also looking after everyday cases of dehydration.“Since the day of the lathicharge, we have been treating students,” said 46-year-old Avtar Singh of Five Rivers Heart Association. Singh and his team have been busy stitching wounds and treating cases of dehydration over the past few days. “Today in the morning, I picked up a protester from the road who passed out due to dehydration,” he added.Singh said his concerns extended beyond their injuries as he thought of “students studying 20-22 hours” a day only to see their efforts nullified.Shahwaz, a 20-year-old activist and medical student who is helping by providing ORS packets, bedsheets and mosquito nets, said police blocked food deliveries to the site Wednesday night, though medical supplies were still allowed in. “There was a water scarcity last night, but no online platform was working at the time,” he said.The protest reflects deeper concerns about the exam system, including NEET and CUET, and mismanagement at CBSE, Shahwaz added.At another camp run by Medical Service Centre, 35-year-old Bharat, a microbiologist, said he had been stationing here since Tuesday. The team has around 15 people volunteering every day, and has at least one doctor and a team of helpers staying at the camp. “It doesn’t matter if it is natural or man-made, we have to help,” Bharat said.The team includes lab technicians, critical care specialists and student volunteers. One of them, Aditi, a final-year MBBS student who herself had cleared NEET, said the experience gave her a personal stake in volunteering. “Now I am feeling like I am doing something for my country,” she said. Most of the 15 patients she had handled in her first two hours at the site had minor throat pain and muscle injuries, Aditi said.Another volunteer, Dr Rajnish (35), has joined hands with a group of 10-15 people who have come from different states. The group has been treating more than 100 patients every day, mostly for dehydration.Aleena, a 32-year-old volunteer, sat at the camp wearing swimming goggles to protect herself from teargas. “I don’t trust my govt,” she rued.
