Nursing student turns lifesaver at Nayagarh hospital

Rourkela: A 22-year-old nursing student from Nayagarh has become the lifeline of hundreds of poor patients by arranging over 400 units of blood at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) in the last three years and, at times, donating his own to save lives.Prasanta Kumar Sahoo steps in whenever families struggle to arrange blood for ailments such as thalassemia, anaemia and sickle cell disease. Currently, pursuing a three-year nursing course at a private institute in Nayagarh, Prasanta has been a constant presence in the hospital, responding to urgent calls for blood and mobilising donors at short notice.His journey started in April 2023 when he accompanied an injured woman from his village to Nayagarh district headquarters hospital.

There, a request from security guard Umakanta Mohapatra to arrange a unit of B+ blood for an elderly patient triggered his resolve. After managing to find a donor the day after, Prasanta decided to continue helping the needy.Since then, he has arranged blood for numerous patients, including a three-year-old thalassemia patient, Sradha Barik, for whom he has ensured around 11 units over time. “For us, he is like God.

He came forward when we had no hope,” said Sradha’s mother, Soubhagini Barik.In another case, Prasanta donated blood to a minor girl whose grandmother had been searching for a donor for five days. He has himself donated blood six times so far. For a 63-year-old anaemia patient, Parsuram Naik, he not only donated blood but helped arrange multiple units later to support treatment.Doctors and patients at Nayagarh DHH often direct families in distress to him. In one such recent instance, he arranged an O+ unit for a critically ill six-year-old girl within hours of being contacted by the paediatric ward. Beyond blood donation, Prasanta’s acts of service extend further. He cremates unclaimed bodies, treats injured cattle hit in road accidents and feeds stray animals every night. “I will continue this mission as long as I live.

Arranging blood at the right time can save lives,” Prasanta said.