Mumbai: At this society, homeowners get gift of life-saving kit

Pranav Ashar (left) with his friend Ronnie D’Souza at Abhiram CHSL, Kandivli, on Monday. Pic/Sameer Markande

You must have heard of builders offering interesting gifts to sell their flats. But a Malad-based developer is giving out surprise gifts to the owners of his sold-out properties, and has come up with a unique idea keeping in mind the current scenario.

Pranav Ashar of Pranav Constructions Private Limited (PCPL) is gifting oxygen concentrators and emergency equipment like automated external defibrillators (AED) to buyers of his redevelopment project in Kandivli.

The oxygen shortage during the second Covid-19 across the country had grabbed headlines. Seeing people struggle to get oxygen beds, Ashar decided that his redeveloped project should have advanced first aid, like oxygen concentrator sand AED.

"My project started a few months before the pandemic began in early 2020. While Covid-19 will subside, the requirement of oxygen concentrators will remain for other diseases as well," he said.

Ashar said the idea was born during a discussion with his friend Ronnie D'Souza, the owner of Uncle's Kitchen. "In a big city like Mumbai, we saw people struggling to find a hospital or a bed. We helped many and we know the struggle. The pandemic has taught us the importance of advanced first aid and I am glad that Ashar implemented my idea," said D'Souza.

Ashar will also help arrange a programme to train a few society members to use the equipment. "We will arrange the training programme so that they [residents] know how to operate them. Knowing how to give CPR, and use oxygen concentrators and AED will help save lives in an emergency before medical help arrives," said Ashar. AEDs are used to revive someone from sudden cardiac arrest.

"In redevelopment projects, you become part of the families for whom you are doing the work. In the coming days, they will be moving in and this is my token of gift for them. This is at no extra cost and I plan to implement it in all of my upcoming projects. The pandemic has taught us to think about health first," said Ashar.

Doc hails move

Appreciating Ashar's move, Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, treasurer of the World Medical Association, said it should set a precedent. "In the coming days, these will be very beneficial, especially AED." While giving the example of Denmark's star player Christian Eriksen, who collapsed on field and was revived by the medics on field through Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). "Because they had an AED device, they managed to revive him immediately. Besides the Covid-19 pandemic, non-communicable diseases and sudden cardiac arrests are on the rise. Even airports and railway stations have this equipment. It is an excellent idea that should be implemented in all big housing societies at least," said Dr Wankhedkar.