Rourkela: A 22-year-old nursing student from Nayagarh has become a lifeline for hundreds of poor patients, 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 in 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 began in April 2023 when he accompanied an injured woman from his village to the Nayagarh DHH. 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 next day, 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.Prasanta said he will continue this mission as long as he lives. Arranging blood at the right time can save lives, he added.In another case, Prasanta donated blood to a minor girl whose grandmother had been searching for a donor for five days. He has also personally 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.Doctors and patients at Nayagarh DHH often direct families in distress to him. In a recent instance, he arranged an O+ unit for a critically ill six-year-old girl within hours of being contacted by the paediatric ward.Prasanta’s acts of service extend further. He cremates unclaimed bodies, treats injured cattle in road accidents and feeds stray animals every night.
Prasanta Kumar Sahoo at the Nayagarh district headquarters hospital
