Mumbai, Jun 4 (PTI) Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday hailed a policeman for donating blood to a 14-year-old patient requiring open heart surgery at a city hospital where no other suitable donor could reach due to cyclone Nisarga and the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to an official statement, Deshmukh called up the policeman, constable Akash Gaikwad, and told him the entire force was proud of him.

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Akash, we are proud of you! Deshmukh told the constable, appreciating his gesture.

Gaikwad is attached to the Tardeo Police Station in Mumbai.

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The statement said 14-year-old Sana Fatima Khan required A+ blood at the time of her open heart surgery at Hinduja Hospital here on Wednesday, the day when cyclone Nisarga approached the coastal belt of the state.

Due to the cyclone and the novel coronavirus, no medically suitable donor could reach the hospital on Wednesday, the statement said.

Gaikwad, who was on duty at the hospital then, came forward and donated blood to the patient in such a serious condition, the statement added.

Be it the spread of COVID-19 or Nisarga cyclone, the police force has always been a great support to the common citizens.

My salute to the warriors like Akash Gaikwad. As the head of the entire police family, I am proud of my police force, the statement quoted Deshmukh as saying.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)