Odisha techie airlifted to Chennai for ECMO treatment after crowdfunding

BHUBANESWAR: A ray of hope beamed on the face of Manisha Pradhan as the airlifting team arrived at the corridor of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on Thursday afternoon to shift her younger brother Amrit Pradhan, who has been battling Covid-19 for over a month, to Chennai-based Apollo Hospital.

After initial procedures that took a couple of hours, the four-member team started preparation to lift the 24-year-old software engineer in an air-ambulance fitted with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) that was waiting for the patient at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), here.

At 5 pm sharp, Amrit was taken in an ambulance from the Covid ward of AIIMS to the airport from where he was airlifted to Chennai. The Odisha government facilitated a special ‘green corridor’ for hassle-free transportation of the critically ill patient. The ambulance reached the airport in a record 12 minutes.

“Thanks to the Commissionerate Police for providing the green corridor. My brother has been shifted to Chennai for the best possible treatment. His shifting to Apollo Hospital was necessitated as a majority portion of his lungs has been affected due to Covid and he needed immediate ECMO,” said Manisha, who along with her husband will fly to Chennai on Friday.

A native of Basudev Nagar in Ganjam’s Berhampur city, Amrit had tested positive for coronavirus on May 2. He has been on ventilation since May 12 after his lungs got affected. As his condition did not improve, the doctors at AIIMS advised for better treatment and lung transplant.

The family had lost hope when they came to know that the ECMO treatment and lungs transplant would cost not less than Rs 1.5 crore. While the ECMO-supported air ambulance charge is around Rs 30 lakh, the expensive treatment costs more than Rs 2 lakh per day. The lung transplant cost ranges between Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

“All our family members, including parents, had Covid and we have already spent a few lakhs on the treatment. With no options left, we decided to appeal on social media seeking financial assistance. Some friends suggested to go for crowdfunding through fundraising site Milaap,” said Manisha.

The idea clicked and they have raised over Rs 63 lakh with the support of 5688 people till the report was filed. The family expects the amount they are expecting will be achieved with the support of generous people. After the request was posted on Milaap site, thousands including celebrities like Sonu Sood and cricketer Irfan Pathan shared it requesting people to contribute.

“A week ago there was no hope. Now we can think of providing him better treatment after the crowdfunding. The danger is not yet over. But the amount of support and blessings Amrit has received from across the country was just incredible. He is now a part of a big Indian family. We will fight till he is cured,” said his brother-in-law Chidananda Tarai.

Amrit was employed with a Bengaluru-based IT company after graduating from an Engineering College here. He had, however, left the corporate job during the pandemic to prepare for UPSC examinations and serve society.

Everything in his life was smooth until his mother, a primary school teacher, tested positive for Covid-19 in mid-April. The infection spread to his father, a retired bank employee, and then the siblings.

“We all recovered, but Amrit’s condition deteriorated. He was initially admitted to a private hospital, but later shifted to AIIMS. He developed pneumonia and septicemia leading to severe lungs infection. We are overwhelmed with the response received from unknown people,” added Manisha appealing to pray for his brother to see him come out victorious.