a neem tree, which is known for its medicinal properties.
As India’s second COVID wave has brought the country’s health care system to a breaking point, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing criticism over the government’s mismanagement of the crisis. Delivering a speech last week, the Prime Minister noted that the virus was spreading rapidly in the villages and urged people to “Get the test done, isolate yourself and start medication on time”.
However, in Mewla Gopalgarh in the country’s most-populous state of Uttar Pradesh, there is no doctor or health facility. While there is a government hospital nearby, there are no available beds here. Therefore, practitioners of alternative medicine in the village have decided to set up this open-air clinic where patients with COVID symptoms lie on cots under the tree, as they are treated with glucose drips hanging from a branch. Empty medicine packets and syringes can be seen strewn on the ground, while cows graze all around.
Meanwhile, in the West coast of India, people have been experiencing a powerful cyclone which has complicated the health crisis in two of the hardest hit states by the pandemic, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The storm has reportedly killed at least 19 people so far, while over 200,000 people have been evacuated. Efforts are being made to limit the spread of the virus amongst these individuals, masks were distributed and efforts are being made to maintain social distancing in the shelter homes.
