Ranchi: Amid the surge in Covid-19 cases, an auto driver in Ranchi has emerged as a ray of hope for people facing a medical emergency. Ravi Agarwal is offering free rides to people who need to go to hospitals at a time when most other auto drivers are refusing to take them to hospitals.
Agarwal said that he is running the service since 15 April. “There was a woman who needed to go to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences. No auto driver was ready to take her there out of fear. She was ready to pay whatever money was being demanded. I offered to take her and dropped her near the trauma centre there. I don’t know if she was a Covid patient or not but I declined to accept the money she offered. When I was returning, I realised that many people like her need help,” he said to ANI.
The auto driver said that he has started a ‘campaign’ to offer free rides to people in a medical emergency, and for that, he has put his contact details on social media so that more people can reach him. “I have started receiving calls. Many people are thinking that I am associated with some hospital, and are asking about the availability of beds and oxygen. I’m also receiving calls from people who are saying they are Covid positive and there is nobody to take them to hospital,” he said.