Crowdfunding raises Rs 60 lakh for Odisha’s techie, airlifted to Chennai for COVID-19 treatment

Representational image (Reuters)

New Delhi: Amrit Pradhan, a 24-year-old software engineer of Odisha, was airlifted to Chennai’s Apollo Hospital on Thursday (June 3). He contracted COVID-19 infection, pneumonia and septicaemia in the lungs. 

Amrit, who was looking after his parents after they were infected with the coronavirus infection, later tested positive for COVID-19. While his parents and sister recovered, Amrit developed pneumonia and septicaemia in the lungs. 

He has been shifted from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar to Apollo Hospital in Chennai for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support and lung transplantation. 

“The Apollo Hospital team had brought an Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine which would keep him alive till he gets a lung transplant,” Chidanand Tarei, his brother-in-law told The Hindustan Times. 

After the family urged people on social media to help them in arranging the hefty amount required for Amrit’s lung transplant, the good samaritans came forward and donated around Rs 60 lakh. 

“For a middle class family like us with health insurance, the maximum cover that we have is Rs 10 lakh. We had lost all hopes when we decided to appeal on social media as well as fundraising site Milaap. By Thursday evening, we had collected Rs 60 lakh from 5,400 people. The amount of support and love that Amrit received was incredible,” he added. 

Doctors at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar have apprised the family that the entire treatment including a lung transplant and 2-month long hospitalisation would cost Rs 1.2 crore, HT reported

Amrit, a native of Odisha’s Berhampur town, had been employed as a software engineer in a Bangalore-based IT firm. He left his job during lockdown to prepare for the civil services. His family needs assistance in generating the remaining amount for his treatment.