Cultural Forum felicitated for helping fight Covid-19

The Cultural Forum, an Indian expatriate organisation, has won accolades from the Qatari authorities for supporting the fight against the Covid-19 second wave.The forum functionaries recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Communicable Disease Center of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) for services during the pandemic crisis. “The award came as an appreciation for organising plasma donation drives," Cultural Forum general secretary Majeed Ali said. The certificate was presented by Communicable Disease Center medical director Dr Muna al-Maslamani.A total of 60 volunteers from the forum donated plasma to treat Covid-19 patients. The organisation had conducted a month-long campaign to raise awareness on plasma donation. The donors made their registration through an online portal set up by the forum. "After the initial verification, the donor data was handed over to HMC. The authorities needed support and our volunteers stepped in. We carried out online and offline awareness campaigns. HMC arranged all facilities for the donors while providing technical requirements," said forum vice president Mohamed Kunchi. A blood donation campaign, in co-ordination with the Indian Cultural Centre, saw around 100 volunteers contributing. The forum volunteers were also active in helping patients meet various requirements."Food kits were distributed to around 100 families and 100 bachelors each while they were in quarantine," Ali said. More than 150 kits were given away at labour camps. "We also convened a meeting of 60 employees, of various saloons, rendered jobless by the Covid-19 crisis and gave them food kits as well as emotional support," the official recalled.Cultural Forum volunteers, with the support of experts, also offered tele-counselling to patients in order to boost their mental health. Also, medicines were given to the patients who were quarantined.