The COVID pandemic had hit mankind hard. Some have gone so far as to call it the worst tragedy that India faced since the partition of the subcontinent. Throughout these two years, the country witnessed several lows. The frenzied demand for medical oxygen, hospitals inundated with COVID patients, crematorium running out of space, parking lots and parks being turned into makeshift cremation grounds, and bodies of COVID victims floating in the holy river Ganges. Amid all this gloom, some people came forward to offer help. They did that with all concern and care with whatever resources they had and could gather. Some helped people with oxygen cylinders, some with plasma, and some with food and medicines. Even an act of sharing authentic information was a great deed at a time when misinformation and fear ran amok. And, to felicitate such individuals who won our hearts with their initiatives, work, and dedication, Onlymyhealth has organised the second edition of its ‘Healthcare Heroes Awards’. The event will go live at 6 pm on February 4 on Onlymyhealth’s YouTube channel, where individuals across categories will be awarded.
Meet Our Jury
To decide upon the awards, the jury line-up consists of esteemed luminaries from the field of health and wellness. The judges are:
- Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, physician-epidemiologist and COVID-19 vaccine expert
- Dr. Nimesh G Desai, a Psychiatry professor and ex-director of the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi
- Dr. Vivek Nangia, Principal Director & Head of Pulmonology Department, Max Hospitals, Saket
- Dr Jaideep Malhotra, OMGYN and former president of Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI)
- Poonam Mutreja, Executive Director of Population Foundation of India
- Grandmaster Aksar, Yoga expert and spiritual guru
- Eshanka Wahi, Nutrition, and holistic wellness coach
- Megha Mamgain, Head – health & lifestyle at Jagram New Media
Meet Our Nominees
Now let’s meet the nominees:
Mental Health Warriors
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- ‘Talk To Heal’ By Sonia Arora Sood & Priyanka Wadhera: Entrepreneurs Sonia Arora Sood and Priyanka Wadhera built a platform called ‘Talk To Heal’ in which anyone going through mental distress can talk to trained listeners called ‘CoCo’ to vent out anything bothering them.
- The MINDS Foundation: This NGO offered mental health services during the COVID pandemic.
- ‘Feelings Forward’ By Kushal Roy: Psychologist Kushal Roy provided free mental health services at the grassroots level to over 200 people during the COVID pandemic.
- Snehi: NGO Snehi offered counseling and therapy to those in distress during the COVID pandemic.
Poshan Warriors
- ‘Roti Ghar’ Initiative By Chinu Kwatra: Fed over 8 lakh stranded migrants and labourers who were stuck due to COVID pandemic and lockdown.
- ‘Feeding From Far’ By Paritosh Pant: Distributed over 25 lakh meals to the poor, migrant labourers, and daily wage workers who had no means of livelihood during the COVID pandemic and the lockdown induced by it.
- Heena & Harsh Mandavia: Prepared and distributed food among 28,000 needy during the COVID pandemic.
- Akshay Kothawale: Fed people who were stuck during the COVID lockdown in Pune and had little means of sustenance. He used his wedding savings for this cause.
Oxygen Warriors
- ‘Oxygen Man’ Shahnawaz Sheikh: Provided free medical oxygen to about 8,000 people in Mumbai. He initially sold his SUV for this cause, but later raised funds from people for the same.
- Hemkunt Foundation: Provided free medical oxygen to those in need when the country faced a major COVID-induced oxygen supplies shortage.
- Pranav Gupta: Distributed ration kits, cooked foods, medical oxygen, train and bus tickets to people in remote regions of Gujarat.
- Gaurav Rai: Provided oxygen cylinders to about 2,000 COVID patients during the first and second waves.
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Digital Healthcare
- Karuna App: Brought authentic real-time information on COVID essentials like medicines, hospital beds, plasma, oxygen cylinders, ventilators on one platform.
- ePsyClinic: Brought mental health services in digital mode to the masses.
- #LetsFightCovidTogether Initiative By Arpita Chaudhary: Created and shared a database of verified information on hospital beds, medicines, oxygen cylinders during the COVID pandemic.
- Volunteers.CoviHelp: Primarily comprised of youngsters, it helped people in distress with verified information on COVID essentials.
Life Savers
- Ajay Munot: Donated plasma a record 14 times to COVID patients.
- Citizens Action Group: Provided COVID essentials to people. It also ferried COVID patients and pregnant women in private cars-turned-ambulances.
- ‘Ambulance Couple’ Himanshu & Twinkle Kalia: Provided free ambulance services in Delhi-NCR.
- Matron Jeminiben Joshi: A 71-year-old matron at a Gujarat hospital, she put her safety at risk and took care of several COVID patients.
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Also read: HealthCare Heroes Awards 2022: 71-year-old Retired Matron Steps Forward In Fight Against Corona
Awareness Warrior
- Ashwathy Maruali: Busted misinformation on COVID vaccination and spread vital information regarding it in her tribal community using radio as the medium.
- DSP Shilpa Sahu: DSP of Odisha’s Naxal-affected Dantewada, DSP Shilpa Sahu braved scorching heat while being five months pregnant to make sure people followed COVID norms.
- Master Amit From Dharamshala: This five-year-old kid from Dharamshala, donning a mask, educated grown-ups on the need to wear masks against COVID.
- Mantasha Fatima: Used social media to spread awareness on COVID.
Distress Relief
- Mukesh Hissariya: Arranged cremation of over 300 COVID victims, who didn’t have anyone to participate in their last rites, in Patna.
- Princess From Rourkela: Became the first transgender COVID warrior in Odisha’s Rourkela.
- B Durga Prasad: Donning a virus-shaped mask and riding his bike, he spread information on COVID protocols in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh.
- Matilda Kullu: An ASHA worker for the past 15 years, she worked tirelessly throughout the different stages of the COVID pandemic.
Also read: Healthcare Heroes Awards 2022: Patna's Mukesh Hisariya Arranged Cremation For 300+ COVID Victims
Mother & Infant Care
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- Ronita Sharma Rekhi: Offered her breastmilk to infants whose mothers had either died of COVID or were in isolation.
- Palawi: An NGO that provides shelter to abandoned HIV+ kids, Palawi ensured zero COVID cases in the organisation.
- ‘Just Open Yourself’ By Jai Sharma: Adopted 100 kids who became orphans during the COVID pandemic.
- Priyali Sur: Advocated for COVID vaccination for pregnant women while being eight months pregnant herself.
So, these are the nominees for Onlymyhealth’s ‘Healthcare Heroes Awards 2022’. To know the winners, watch the awards from 6 pm on Onlymyealth’s Youtube channel.