There are some people in this world that were born with a heart of absolute pure gold—and one such person is Karimul Haque from Dhalabari Village in India.
Karimul Haque is a 50-year-old man known as the ‘Bike-Ambulance-Dada’ in his village which is near West Bengal. Haque, by trade, has a betel leaf shop and cellphone repair shop, but he’s most known for being a ray of hope to the villagers in his area. He helps transport weak and sick people to the hospital—on his motorcycle.
When Haque was a young man, he ran from door-to-door seeking assistance from neighbors or anyone who could help his mother who was in dire need of medical attention for a heart attack. Sadly, Haque couldn’t find an ambulance and his mother wasn’t able to receive the care she needed. She ended up passing away.
“I could not save my mother because I did not have a vehicle. I had no option but see her die in the wee hours of a night, 15 years ago,” Haque told Hindustan Times.
After his mother’s tragic death, Haque vowed that he would never let another person die due to a lack of ambulance access.
Then, 14 years ago, one of his co-workers collapsed in a field. Haque picked up his friend and tied him to his back. He then hopped onto his motorcycle, with his unconscious colleague riding pillion, and rode all the way to Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital—28 miles away.
Thankfully, this time his co-worker was able to receive the medical help he needed and was able to recover and regain his health. At this point, Haque knew that this was his true calling.
“Initially people laughed at me, but when help came their way in times of crisis, they started taking my work seriously,” said Haque.
Haque doesn’t just serve his own village with his motorcycle ambulance services—he also assists the surrounding 20 villages as well.
In this area, known as the Dooars Belt of Bengal, there are no concrete roads, electricity, cell phone towers, or other basic amenities—making it very difficult for anyone to receive medical attention in a timely manner. Not to mention, most people in these villages are small-time farmers or make a daily wage of less than $5.
Not only does Haque provide ambulance services to residents in the villages, but he also has learned basic first aid treatment from doctors and provides these services to villagers as well. Sometimes, he’ll even run health camps in tribal areas, teaching people about health care.
“There are times when roads are flooded and traffic does not move. For occasions like that, I taught him the basics like how to dress a wound and administer an injection. I have seen him cleaning wounds of a maggot-hit septicaemia patient,” said Dr Saumen Mandal, a surgeon at the Jalpaiguri district hospital.
Haque earns around $55/month from his regular jobs—most of which goes to fuel for his bike and medicines for the poor. His ambulance services are provided free-of-charge.
Because of his incredibly compassionate acts, Haque has been recognized with a few awards that are given out in his region and in India as a whole. And ever since he started his ambulance services, Haque has helped over 5,000 people in his area—all of whom are extremely grateful.
“Karimul dada is next to God. When my mother-in-law had a stroke, we thought she won’t live. Thanks to Karimul dada, who drove at jet-speed to the hospital, she is hale and hearty now,” said Bulu Oraon, a villager
One day, Haque hopes to bring a real, advanced ambulance to his area, stocked with all the necessary supplies and facilities onboard. We hope his dreams come true!
Learn more about Haque and his amazing good deeds in the video below.
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