The deadly second wave of coronavirus has wreaked havoc so fiercely in India that it brought health infrastructure down on its knees making people realise the need for necessary up-gradation in the health systems. Recently, one of the five “takhts" of Sikhism, Gurdwara Takht Shri Hazur Sahib announced to use all its gold collected over the past 50 years for building hospitals and constructing medical institutions in Nanded, Maharashtra.

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis haas brought to fore the state of India's crumbling healthcare system. People across the country are struggling to find hospital beds, medicines and oxygen.

While individuals and communities are doing their bit towards helping those in need, a gurdwara in Nanded has announced that it will release all the gold collected over the past 50 years for the construction of hospitals and medical institutions.

The Gurdwara authorities said that they have come with this proposition as people from Nanded have to head to Hyderabad or Mumbai for any treatment. So, the construction of hospitals and medical institutes in the town will prove beneficial for the people and would save them time and resources.

As per reports, the proposal has been moved by the chief priest of Gurdwara Takht Shri Hazoor Sahib because of lack of good hospitals in Nanded and is awaiting approval from the board. Currently people from Nanded have to go to Mumbai or Hyderabad to access medical facilities.

The proposal envisages building of a medical facility in Nanded or Aurangabad so that people can get treated there itself.

Twitter is applauding the proposal and hoping that other religious organisations take a cue.

Takht Jathedar Sant Baba Kulwant Singh shared the information through his Twitter handle. He posted a video and wrote that Gurdwara is releasing all the gold amassed over the last 50 years to build hospitals and medical colleges so that nobody has to travel to neighbouring cities for treatment or studies.

“We have put a lot of gold on buildings and Gurdwaras…It is my opinion that a hospital or medical college should be built,” said Kulwant Singh. He further added, “Whenever the world is troubled the Khalsa stands up, providing langar (free meals) in place after place and meeting whatever needs arises”.

Organisations such as Khalsa Aid, and many other Gurdwaras across the country, have come to the fore in these testing times and distributed food kits, converted premises into quarantine wards and also provided oxygen cylinders to those in need.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra has recorded nearly 20,000 confirmed Covid deaths in May, making it one of the deadliest months since the start of the pandemic. With 594 recorded mortalities over the last 48, the death tally escalated to 19,807 in the month.