In a village in Northern India which has been plagued by the pandemic (COVID-19), the infirm lie on cots under a tree. Glucose drips are hanging from a branch in this most makeshift of ‘hospitals.’ Cows graze all around, while syringes and empty medicine packets are strewn on the ground.
In Mewla Gopalrath, which is located in India’s most popular state of Uttar Pradash, there is no doctor or health care facility. (To put matters into perspective, the city is about 90 miles drive from New Delhi.) There is a government hospital nearby. Unfortunately, it has no available beds, and the villagers say they cannot afford to go the few private clinics that are in close proximity.
Instead, village practitioners of alternative medicine are helping out their community. How? They’ve set up an open-air clinic where they distribute glucose and other remedies to patients with symptoms of COVID-19.
Some of the local residents believe that lying under the neem tree helps raise their oxygen levels. Neem trees are known for having medicinal properties. However, there is no scientific basis for this belief or for some of the other remedies being employed under the neem tree in Mewla Gopalrath.
Sanjay Singh, who’s 74 year old father died a few days ago, said that, “When people become breathless, they have to go under trees to raise their oxygen levels.” Sanjay’s father developed a fever and expired soon afterwards. They suspected he had COVID, but no testing was done to confirm or deny that fact.
The people of the village feel hopeless. Some say that they “are dying and there is nobody to help us.” That’s a desperate situation for people to face and we are saddened to hear it. India’s COVID spike has been detrimental to the entire nation and its impacts can be felt worldwide.
Prime Minister Nahendra Modi, who is currently under fire for ignoring this second wave of the pandemic, admitted in a recent speech that COVID was spreading fast in rural villages. He urged people not to ignore symptoms and to “get tested, isolate and start medication on time.”
In Mewla Gopalrath, they are just doing the best they can. One woman borrowed an oxygen cylinder from a neighbor whose condition had improved slightly, according to family members. The sad truth is that there has been no COVID testing in the village. The inhabitants have called for testing but officials say there is not enough staff to do so. We hope you enjoyed this article and look forward to bringing you more tree news from around the globe each and every week
