2020 was the year when a pandemic swept the world, leaving in its wake chaos, suffering, and loss of life. Little was known about Covid 19 when it had just struck. As the spread increased across the map, the initial panic led to local solutions. Our Recruit Training Centre was the same. It housed a small hospital, which, to begin with, was a 20-bed facility with some basic medicines. When the lockdown was announced, senior police officials informed the team that a COVID isolation centre needed to be created, and it should be operational in a week.
It was done on the fast track as we procured the necessary medicines and equipment. A building adjacent to the hospital was selected and outfitted with beds, proper lighting, ventilation, essential drugs and
solutions, PPE kits and sanitised and trained housekeeping. The initial estimated expense could only cover so much. Several meetings and consultations later, we doubled our budget, which was approved in less than 24 hours. The next crucial step was to train the medical staff and create SOPS for work processes without precedence. While the preparations were underway, there was a call for a suspected COVID-19 patient; ours was the only isolation centre ready. We were prepared for takeoff.
Soon, we began to organise regular RTPCR camps and screen patients regularly. During a camp of RTPCR testing, we found more than 15 patients who were COVID-19 positive. Now there was full-blown COVID-19 spread on our campus too. Many COVID-19 patients were admitted and treated, and all patients recovered well.
The new year marked the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine. India started COVID-19 vaccination on 16 January 2021. We organised our first COVID-19 vaccination camp on 8 Feb 2021. In the four following months, the virus struck again with new vigour. As is well known, the second wave was all about oxygen. We started with two oxygen cylinders. Due to the kindness and hard work of many, we were up to 50 oxygen cylinders in under 15 days. Soon, our medical officer and his team had the foresight and zeal to convert all the beds of the hitherto isolation centre into oxygen beds. The entire RTC team worked day and night to fill the cylinders, standing in long queues till the wee hours. And owing to all families’ team zeal and cooperation, the 500-acre campus stayed crisis-free thanks to masking, distancing, testing, vaccination, and treatment.
Out of the vast compassion of all our men in all ranks, we started to share our surpluses with those in dire need, especially the very underprivileged. Many civil groups, sewa dals, officers, and families joined us in this endeavour, thus ensuring that we could rush oxygen and essential medicines to whoever needed it, within Haryana Police and many others. Many kind souls helped raise the hospital, equipping it with a cardiac monitor and defibrillator. We became a fully equipped, 60- bedded covid treatment centre in no time. We also ran a round-the-clock crisis centre that verified leads relating to the availability of oxygen, essential medicines, oxymeters, non-invasive ventilators, oxygen valves, etc.
A moment of significance that attested to the hard work and intention of our training centre, as well as Gurgaon police officers, was a media SOS on a Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit that was running out of oxygen. Our team lost no time in racing oxygen to them, thus, potentially saving the lives of 8 babies. This was covered in social media.
In conclusion, the ambulance drivers scouting NCR streets for open chemists to the team verifying leads, the doctors, pharmacists, those procuring and distributing oxygen and rations, those documenting every donation, incoming and outgoing, those offering succour and counselling to scared families, each and everyone is a Hero.
It was done on the fast track as we procured the necessary medicines and equipment. A building adjacent to the hospital was selected and outfitted with beds, proper lighting, ventilation, essential drugs and
solutions, PPE kits and sanitised and trained housekeeping. The initial estimated expense could only cover so much. Several meetings and consultations later, we doubled our budget, which was approved in less than 24 hours. The next crucial step was to train the medical staff and create SOPS for work processes without precedence. While the preparations were underway, there was a call for a suspected COVID-19 patient; ours was the only isolation centre ready. We were prepared for takeoff.
Soon, we began to organise regular RTPCR camps and screen patients regularly. During a camp of RTPCR testing, we found more than 15 patients who were COVID-19 positive. Now there was full-blown COVID-19 spread on our campus too. Many COVID-19 patients were admitted and treated, and all patients recovered well.
The new year marked the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine. India started COVID-19 vaccination on 16 January 2021. We organised our first COVID-19 vaccination camp on 8 Feb 2021. In the four following months, the virus struck again with new vigour. As is well known, the second wave was all about oxygen. We started with two oxygen cylinders. Due to the kindness and hard work of many, we were up to 50 oxygen cylinders in under 15 days. Soon, our medical officer and his team had the foresight and zeal to convert all the beds of the hitherto isolation centre into oxygen beds. The entire RTC team worked day and night to fill the cylinders, standing in long queues till the wee hours. And owing to all families’ team zeal and cooperation, the 500-acre campus stayed crisis-free thanks to masking, distancing, testing, vaccination, and treatment.
Out of the vast compassion of all our men in all ranks, we started to share our surpluses with those in dire need, especially the very underprivileged. Many civil groups, sewa dals, officers, and families joined us in this endeavour, thus ensuring that we could rush oxygen and essential medicines to whoever needed it, within Haryana Police and many others. Many kind souls helped raise the hospital, equipping it with a cardiac monitor and defibrillator. We became a fully equipped, 60- bedded covid treatment centre in no time. We also ran a round-the-clock crisis centre that verified leads relating to the availability of oxygen, essential medicines, oxymeters, non-invasive ventilators, oxygen valves, etc.
A moment of significance that attested to the hard work and intention of our training centre, as well as Gurgaon police officers, was a media SOS on a Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit that was running out of oxygen. Our team lost no time in racing oxygen to them, thus, potentially saving the lives of 8 babies. This was covered in social media.
In conclusion, the ambulance drivers scouting NCR streets for open chemists to the team verifying leads, the doctors, pharmacists, those procuring and distributing oxygen and rations, those documenting every donation, incoming and outgoing, those offering succour and counselling to scared families, each and everyone is a Hero.
