Former students and retired teachers of South Point can turn to the school if they need help to catch their breath. The South Point Ex-students’ Association is set to provide rent-free oxygen concentrators for emergency use. Current teachers and staff members can also avail themselves of the scheme.

“Since the school building is not in use, we, from the ex-students’ forum, were thinking of ways to use the space in the fight against Covid-19. That’s why we launched a walk-in RT-PCR swab collection at the school in association with a private diagnostic clinic in the second week of May when infection and requirement for the test were high. The oxygen scheme now will instill confidence in many that they have somewhere to turn to in an emergency,” said Krishna Damani, the president of the association who is also the vice-chairman of the school’s managing committee.

Christened Oxy Point, the scheme will start on Thursday with five machines. “We have purchased 10litre concentrators though they cost much more than the 5litre and 7litre ones. This way we can support patients with greater requirements of oxygen,” he said.

The machines have been kept at the high school in Ballygunge Place and five volunteers are the contact persons. The service will be available from 8am to 9pm.

Former students seeking to take home a concentrator would need to get their application endorsed by a life member of the association. “That way we will know the person to be a bona fide ex-Pointer,” Damani said. They will also need to collect the machine from the school themselves and buy the pipe and the mask. The school will keep some in stock only for emergency situations. “We are offering the machines for a short period as we want to help as many as possible.”

While ex-students will have to pay Rs 5,000 as refundable security deposit and another Rs 500 as sanitisation charge, the service is free for serving and retired teachers. The school has a care wing run by former students. They will deliver the machine at the doorstep.

“We have already lost two current teachers and three other staff members to Covid. Several ex-teachers have also succumbed to the disease,” Damani said.

The association plans to buy five more machines and are asking alumni to donate funds. “Within the first hour of posting the appeal, we got almost Rs 10,000,” he said.