Present: Navin ji - Asha ji, Kaladhar ji, Kameshwar ji, Manohar Thakur ji, Arun Jha ji, Om Prakash Choudhary, Vibhash, Rakesh Ravi, Sami Haider and Deepak,
Apologies: Gyaneswari ji, Parmanand ji, Virendra ji, Sushil ji, Anil Singh ji, Anil Jha ji, Krishna Chandra Pandeya ji, Pradeep ji, Jai Prakash ji, Atul, Sanjay (Ramakrishna Ashram), Ghanshyam, Vivekanand, Anuj and Sanjay (Oxford)
Topics for discussion:
Well-being for all NOBA UK members: All NOBA UK members are doing well.
Gratitude was expressed to all frontline workers (health, care and all other essential services)
Current pandemic in UK and in India
Ways of supporting our NOBA UK members
Decisions:
The big news for our group this time was the appointment of Vibhash to the post of Honorary Associate Professor of Urology at University College London. We expressed our great pleasure at this achievement and felicitated Vibhash as best as we could remotely with a promise to celebrate it in style when we could meet in person.
As the COVID 19 situation seems to be easing, we spent quite some time discussing our personal experiences. Deepak, who worked as anaesthetist on the front line of Covid war, shared his insightful observations on human sufferings and the impact that it had created on frontline workers. He was urged to write his personal experiences during this unprecedented phenomenon, which can be an asset for the future.
Manohar talked about some unique features of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which makes it particularly dangerous for human beings.
Carrying on from our earlier agenda, we discussed models of emergency support for our own NOBA UK members.
It was agreed that any member in need of support will let the group know on our Whatsapp group and whoever sees this first will speak to as many members as possible, immediately. Our aim will be to provide all needed support, of which psychological support was deemed the most important. Attempts will be made to provide the most practical support possible to the member or to his family in need.
Sami also talked of setting up a trained group of support social care staff customised to our particular needs who can be utilised in case of need, on a paid basis.
Members were asked to volunteer to takeover the job of writing minutes from next fortnight as it is felt that the wider participation and delegation of duties are always good for any organisation .
It was proposed to now hold these online meetings every month instead of fortnightly but this was not accepted for now. So, we will meet again via video conference on Saturday 18 July 2020 at 12 noon.
All NOBA UK members are requested to attend, if they are not busy with their essential services to the nation.