The second wave of the pandemic saw a widening gap between the need and availability of resources. Affected people struggled to find hospital beds, oxygen, plasma donors, medicines, etc. While there were contact details available online, it was difficult to verify their authenticity.
Empathising with the current situation, north India’s All Mutual Fund Distributors Welfare Association (AMDwA) has come forward to support the victims and their family in the fight against the virus. After identifying all the possible needs, AMDwA has created a comprehensive databank of doctors for online consultation, hospital beds, oxygen supply, plasma donors, medicine, food supply etc. for the Delhi NCR region.
The details were accumulated over time and are cross-verified. The association also keeps updating this list as and when it comes across new information. AMDwA operates through a team of 25 volunteers who authenticate the databank and intimate the availability of resources to people requiring them. While all the volunteers are aware of the entire databank, they are divided into smaller groups to address each resource separately. For instance, a few volunteers specifically look into sharing the details of medicine availability, while some other team members take care of the oxygen resource list and so on.
There have been instances where the volunteers fell sick but they continued their roles telephonically. Such is the zeal of AMDwA to serve the society. Taking inspiration from it, many industry members including AMCs are volunteering with the association in whatever way possible.
The initiative was launched about 15 days back and has proved to be a ray of hope for many. The objective is to extend a helping hand to all including MFDs (members and non-members), their clients, and employees of AMCs and RTAs. In fact, its current volunteering team is also a mix of members as well as non-members.
The association follows a dynamic approach and tries adding newer ways of supporting. It has incorporated to its database the list of people having surplus resources like medicines, oximeter, etc. The association is currently considering financial aid for families of deceased having a limited source of income. Additionally, it is also trying to get anti-body test done for distributors and is working towards organising a vaccination drive with AMFI.
“The industry must come together as a family and help all those in need”, said Lovey Mehra, President, AMDwA. Lovey believes that the genuine desire of like-minded with similar beliefs can move mountains for the benefit of society.
