It is rare when the whole country is struggling, crying, scared, hopeless and still stands back to fight. One such time was when the second wave hit us. No one was prepared, just when everyone thought we were getting out of it, we found ourselves deeper in the pit. Being in the healthcare system, our call durations decreased and the number increased. People who almost lost all hopes still called us in case we could arrange the medicines needed for their family to live and oxygen for their family members struggling to breathe. Turning everyone down and seeing people die, we started losing our hopes as well. We eventually felt like the murderers of the tiniest beam of hope in them. The situation was grim and we weren’t ready to give up.

Soon we found people who had some of these resources, but no way through which they could connect to people in dire need of it.

After some thought, and reading hundreds of messages in our inbox asking if we had any resources for them. It hit us, why not make a digital human chain. Digital groups which connect people with resources to people who are in need of them. We thought it would help people, it was the best we could think at the moment. A Digital group was made, links shared. And that is how SWASTHAM was established on 18 April 2021.

Swastham is an initiative by medical students and the doctors of Gujarat to form digital human chain to connect people with resources such as medicines, oxygen, beds, plasma, consultation etc to people in dire need of it.