Pawan Sharma. Telegraph picture

Balangir, April 25: Puspa Nag (24) of Kantabanjhi was in labour pain as she was expecting her child last Diwali. Her husband Jadu Nag shifted her to the primary health centre (PHC) of Kantabanjhi. But to his utter disbelief, he found there was nobody in the hospital to conduct the delivery.

Everyone was on leave in the primary health centre because of Diwali. When Jadu called the doctor on duty, he said it was a critical case and would not be possible to conduct the delivery without the help of a nurse.

Jadu, who was clueless, then thought of one Pawan Sharma of Kantabanjhi. Sharma (35) is renowned for lending his helping hand to patients in times of need.

“I had heard a lot about Pawan Sharma. I went to his place and sought help in the middle of the night. A messiah for patients, Sharma came out and was dressed as if he was ready to go anywhere. We headed straight to the hospital and he convinced the doctor to conduct the delivery without a nurse. He attended to my wife till she gave birth to a baby boy. It was because of him that not only the life of my wife was saved, but we also have a child now,” Jadu told The Telegraph.

A few months ago, some sadhus of Mata Mandir in Kantabanjhi were travelling to Dhamandanga for a spiritual meet when their vehicle overturned, severely injuring many of them. Sanjaya Mishra, a resident of Kantabanjhi said it was only because of Sharma that lives of many sadhus were saved.

“As soon as he was informed about the accident, he rushed to the spot and helped them reach Kantabanjhi Hospital,” Mishra said.

People here might not have the phone number of the nearest hospital, but all of them have Sharma’s phone number. He has been playing the role of a Good Samaritan for patients in need for the last 20 years.

Sharma has made it a point to spend 10 per cent of his income in helping people, especially the poor patients.

“I attend to patients whenever I am called. I try to help them both financially and physically. I have provided electrical equipment like fans, coolers and generators to our ill-equipped hospital. I have also constructed a temple dedicated to Maa Taarini on the hospital premises,” Sharma said.

He claims to have attended to at least a thousand patients in the Kantabanjhi Hospital and helped them in the last 20 years. Sharma was also all praise for his wife Kanchan who cooperated with him on his mission. “Without her help, I wouldn’t have been successful in my mission,” he said.