How to Save a Life
- Spectator 5.0
- Dec 24, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 25, 2020
Text and research by Tayyaba Khurram, Muhammad Amir & Rida Tariq
Photography by Afia Iftikhar
Ambulance Drivers: Unrecognized heroes who play a major role in serving humanity
Countless heroes in this world serve humanity on a daily basis but receive no recognition. Out of many honourable but often side-lined professions is that of an ambulance driver. An ambulance driver plays a considerable role in saving a patient’s life, and this deed often goes unnoticed.
Mir Asad Baloch shares his experience of survival through an ambulance. At the age of 20, he got injured after a bike accident left him with a severe head injury. “I would have died if it was not for the ambulance driver who saved my life.”
In the sprawling metropolis of Karachi, with a population of 20 million plus even by conservative estimates, the highest number of ambulances belong to the Edhi Foundation–under 1000, followed by Chhipa. The numbers are clearly not enough. Karachi, simply, needs more ambulances. The pressure on their drivers is immense, given the volatile nature and huge population of the provincial capital.
Contrary to popular belief, not all ambulance drivers take up this job out of sheer helplessness, but because of altruistic reasons. Many believe that this is their way of giving back to society. Mohsin Iqbal, aged 59, is one of them. His sense of duty compelled him to this career path, where he receives a sense of fulfilment by helping others.
Mohsin has rescued many lives while working at Chhipa Ambulance services—a charitable ambulance service in Karachi. He has been working for Chhipa for more than 20 years and has seen many dark days in the city of lights.
Abdul Rahim, a 43-year-old paramedic, has been working at Edhi Centre for the past 18 years. “Life is a precious gift from Allah, and I love saving lives,” says Abdul.
However, this passion brings along a tremendous pressure that an ambulance driver has to go through while shifting the patients from one place to another. This can take a huge toll on the mental health and wellbeing of these drivers.
“In my profession, we are used to witnessing incidents which toughen us up, so it doesn't affect us much,” shares Mohsin. “Those who are faint-hearted cannot stay in this profession, and usually, these types of people leave this job within a week or two.” According to him, the most difficult part of this job is collecting dead bodies or seeing someone die in front of their eyes, and these are the reasons most people leave this job.
“We are also humans; we also have feelings. I still remember a daughter crying on her father's death. I am also father of a daughter due to which I can feel the pain,” says Mohsin.
Upon inquiring about mental health and trauma, Abdul shares, “No one has ever asked me anything regarding my mental health in all of my 18 years as an ambulance-driver—you are the first”.
Initially, he struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for eight–10 months. He would constantly struggle with flashbacks of losing a patient—for the first time—right in front of his eyes in the ambulance. “At first, I faced mental health issues, but now, I am used to it,” says Abdul. “Maybe because I have started to focus on the fact that this is what I have to do to make a living, and this is what I am passionate about”.
Paramedics play an important role in saving lives. They keep the patients alive till proper medical treatment is given. They provide first-aid treatments or try to resuscitate the patients till they reach a hospital. The medical equipment and first aid provided can help people in road accidents and terrorist incidents.
But the challenges are many. “We don't have sufficient medical supplies in an ambulance to help during an emergency; we have basic first-aid kits, but most of the ambulances lack that as well,” says Abdul.
Ambulance drivers also share that many of these ambulances are in miserable conditions and are without essentials, like oxygen chambers or emergency treatment mechanical assemblies. This increases the life-risk of patients more and puts them in constant danger.
The worst moments one can experience in life occur inside an ambulance, counting seconds until they reach a hospital. Amna Hafeez, a 46-year-old lady, recalls the day when she took her grandmother to a hospital in an ambulance. “That was my first time in an ambulance, and I was just 18 years old at that time”.
Her grandmother fell from the bed and broke her hip bone. While explaining the moments she felt while sitting in that ambulance with her grandmother, Amna says, “Time passed by very slowly, seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours”.
Patients are taken to emergency doctors immediately once they reach the hospital. Dr Shajeih Siddiqui, an emergency doctor working at The Indus Hospital, shares his recent experience of treating a patient. Once he was treating a patient with a gunshot wound, but the patient needed to be transferred to another hospital. “We stabilized the patient till an ambulance reached the hospital, but the patient collapsed on way”. Dr Shajeih mentions that according to the ambulance driver, it was due to the traffic that they could not reach in time.
54-year-old Suhema Mashkoor recalls the time when she called an ambulance back in 2007 for her father, who was having a heart attack. “By the time the ambulance reached the hospital, we realized that my father had cut his tongue because of how uneven the roads were and how fast the driver was compelled to drive,” she adds, “Blood started gushing from his mouth, and he was unable to speak”.
Despite the presence of ambulance services, poor infrastructure, lack of funds and facilities, and traffic congestion in the city cause unimaginable consequences for the patients and their families.
The traffic police also play a major role in serving humanity. When they hear a siren from afar, they try to make sure that the ambulance does not have to wait in traffic. It is just a matter of minutes, and a life can saved. “I see at least 10–12 ambulances pass by each day,” states Arshad Janjua, a traffic police officer. “It is hard to make way for ambulances during the second half of the day when people are going to their houses after work,” he adds. “As good citizens, people should make way for the ambulances”.
Major ambulance services operational in Karachi, along with their contact details:
Edhi Ambulance - 115
Al-Mustafa Welfare Society - +92-21-34820101-7
Aman Foundation - +92 (21) 111-111-823
Chhipa Ambulance - 1020
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