Gaurav Rai, a good samaritan from Patna in Bihar has started providing free oxygen cylinders to the coronavirus patients in the city after recovering from the infection and on realising the significance of it while he battled for his life.
‘I was brought to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on July 14… my wife took several rounds of the city to get a cylinder of oxygen for me,’ Rai told The New Indian Express. This was the transformative moment for him.
As his life depended on the cylinders, he realised the importance of the availability of timely oxygen support to survive and it was then, he decided to dedicate his efforts and finances in helping the others who needed the same.
Rai started his ‘mobile oxygen bank’ and runs it from his car. He has reportedly been able to save the lives of at least eight COVID-positive people, and 14 others are on oxygen support, which has been provided by him.
The Patna man travels with oxygen cylinders in his car across the city and is also available on call for help. His vehicle is equipped with 30 cylinders bought from the couple’s hard-earned money to assist the needy patients under home isolation.
‘I don’t charge anything. I take a photo of the person needing oxygen and request him to return the empty cylinder,’ he explained.
Rai has donated blood more than 86 times and plasma six times after recovery and is reportedly prepping up again to donate plasma for the COVID-19 patient at AIIMS.
