1| Meet Jitendra Shinde, 50, an autorickshaw driver from Kolhapur who has ferried over 15,000 patients – including more than 1,000 coronavirus patients to the hospitals for free.

2| “If someone tests Covid positive, society makes them a pariah. How will such people reach hospitals or quarantine centres?” Mr Shinde asks. He continuously seeks updates on the number of vacant beds in hospitals and quarantine centres.

3| Jitendra also ferries pregnant women and people with disabilities for free. His work comes with its own set of challenges.“Fellow rickshaw drivers don’t allow me to park my auto in the stand. They shun me, saying, 'What if you infect us?'”

4| “In several cases, no one comes to lift the bodies of the deceased Covid patients,” Mr Shinde says.
At such times, he helps to transport the bodies and to perform the death rituals according to their beliefs, ensuring the dignity of the victims is not lost.

5| So far, Mr Shinde has spent 150,000 rupees of his savings to help people. He spent another 5,000 rupees to buy PPE kits. “No one has come forward to help me, and neither do I expect them to,” he says.

6| For recovering Covid patients and those in home isolation, he delivers medicines, vegetables, and essential groceries for free.

“People donate to temples. I spend money to save lives,” he says. “Tens of people should come forward and help others. If my life story inspires someone, I will have done my job.”

7| For @TheNationalNews, I profile Jitendra Shinde and write about how he's tirelessly helping thousands of patients.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/india-s-covid-19-crisis-rickshaw-driver-gives-free-hospital-trips-to-thousands-1.1216124

#covidheroes