Ravi Dhokare

Zomato

Vadgaonsheri

The delivery man

His job profile requires him to ferry food for online orders, but on the afternoon of November 15,, delivery executive for the food aggregator, played the role of an ambulance. Putting his job at risk, he responded to the call of a helpless father, who had hit the road looking desperately for medical help for his choking seven-month old daughter.Devendra, the 38-year-old father who refused to share his full name, works with a construction company, while his wife is employed with a bank; they are residents of. That Friday, the family was all set to travel to Nashik. “I woke up my daughter to feed her before preparing for the trip. But she suddenly choked and threw up the dal-rice she was being fed. After the reflux she seemed to be gasping for breath. Fearing she might stop breathing, I ran out with her to seek medical attention,” he narrated.But there was no doctor at the neighbourhood clinic. In panic, he ran to the main road. “I could think of nothing other than seeking help to reach a doctor at the earliest,” he recalled. Just as he started beseeching commuters on the road to help, Dhokare was passing by. “I’d just logged into Zomato’s delivery app a few minutes ago and was headed to Viman Nagar from Vadgaonsheri to pick up an order for delivery,” the Good Samaritan informed.But, clearly moved by the sight of the father cradling his child and crying for help at the end of Sopan Nagar Lane C, Dhokare felt compelled to stop and offer a ride to the nearest hospital. “We first reached Salunke Hospital just 2 km away. But there was no doctor on duty. From there we rushed to Jadhav Hospital near Inorbit Mall travelling another 2.6 km. Here the attendants told us to rush to Columbia Asia Hospital at Kharadi,” Dhokare recounted.used his acumen to zip through various internal roads and bylanes to cover the 4.3 km in 10 minutes. When they reached Columbia Asia, it was 20 minutes since he picked up Devendra and his daughter. “The doctor here confirmed the child’s condition was serious and admitted her into the emergency ward,” the conscientious man told Mirror. Seeing the plight of the child, he decided to hang around there until she stabilised. “I informed the customers of the situation that was delaying his order; they empathised and accepted the delay very kindly.”In the week gone by since the incident, Dhokare has been in constant touch with Devendra, following up on the health status of the baby he saved. “My focus was on helping the kid at that desperate moment and I am glad I could save her. The doctor mentioned that any further delay could have proved fatal,” he added.Dr Ganesh Badge, the paediatric consultant at Columbia Asia Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU), informed, “The baby was brought in unconscious. When she coughed while being fed, the food went into her windpipe choking her and oxygen supply to the brain was cut off, sending her into convulsions. On arrival she was put on ventilator, given steam treatment and injected with antibiotics.” He said that the child had stabilised since and was taken off the ventilator on Thursday. She is scheduled to be discharged on Saturday, he added.Beholden for life, Devendra said that bond he’d established with Dhokare would never fade. “It was very kind of Ravi to help us despite his busy schedule. He rushed us weaving through narrow lanes to avoid traffic and reach the hospital at the earliest. My daughter was saved by Ravi’s timely aid. He is welcome to seek any help from me at any time in his life when required,” the grateful father declared.For its part, Zomato has acknowledged the yeomen service rendered by Dhokare and felicitated him on Wednesday. “We salute Ravi for his humane approach and presence of mind, which saved a little girl’s life. People like him not only make us proud of our delivery universe but also inspire us to do better each day,” the company spokesperson stated.