Nagpur: Youth turns school van into free ambulance service

NAGPUR: This pandemic has seen some citizens rising above and beyond the call of duty even as their own personal situation might not be conducive to take such actions.
For over a year now, 25-year-old Rocky Clement David’s school van venture has not brought in a single rupee.
Still, David decided to start a free ambulance service so that his idle van could be of some help to society.
“Last month, an acquaintance was in urgent need of an ambulance. Since there was none available immediately, I ferried the patient in my van. And that’s when it struck me that so many people in Nagpur need this service and because of the high demand, would be facing a long waiting time. So, I decided to offer my services for free to anyone in Nagpur,” said David.
He invested in an oxygen cylinder and slightly modified his van to accommodate patients who will be lying down. “The oxygen cylinder will support the patient till we reach the hospital and sometimes it can take quite a while to find beds,” said David.
Through word of mouth and social media, David’s contact details are reaching people but he hopes to get ‘more’ calls.
“My only aim is to ensure that patients reach the hospital as soon as possible. No one should suffer because there was no transportation available. Since it’s just word of mouth publicity, not many people are aware of this. But I hope I can help more and more people in the coming days,” said David.
While the pandemic has hit everyone hard, David considers himself ‘lucky’.
“Well, I am single and have support from family and friends. Hence, the van business going down has not put me in dire financial straits. At the same time, I have managed to get a job with a logistics and trading company, so some amount also comes from them,” said David.
He said his service is available 24x7 and there is no charge either for transportation or oxygen.