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An expatriate driver of “Ekhla Tibbi” gets ready
to visit a pilgrim camp on an emergency call. (Arab News photo)
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MINA, Jan 9, 2006 — To save precious life and
provide timely medical assistance to ailing pilgrims, Haj officials
have come up with a very innovative ambulance that is able to fetch
patients from their camps directly to hospitals. This newly created
yellow color Saudi-made ambulance, which looks like the four-wheeler
motorcycles seen on Saudi beaches, is called “Ekhla Tibbi”.
This has revolutionized the whole concept of medical and emergency
care. They can reach a place of emergency at a fast pace and
transfer patients to specialized medical centers saving valuable
time. They go to places where ambulances normally cannot reach.
“A driver, accompanied by a paramedic, transfers a patient to
hospital and all caution is taken to ensure that he is taken care of
during the course of transfer,” said Mahmood Samak, head of the
Dabbab section in the South Asian Establishment in the tent city.
Samak said Ekhla Tibbi was introduced last year by a few Haj
establishments and was proved to be of great help in saving lives,
so this year almost all the establishments have opted for it. “It is
easy to make and the maintenance is cheap. We just need a four-wheel
bike that you normally find on the beaches. A lightweight body with
a stretcher is fitted to it. It has been designed in such a way that
the patient can stretch out comfortably in it,” Samak said.
The whole idea was conceived and delivered by Saudi technicians.
Nothing has been imported and it has an attractive Saudi touch.
When the tent city of Mina and even the plains of Arafat are full of
pilgrims with no way for ambulances to move freely, these Ekhla
Tibbis are the only fast mode of transportation to save lives.
Samak said that six to 10 such ambulances are ready round the clock
with each establishment. “We have hired Bangladeshi, Indian and
Pakistani drivers for these ‘portable’ ambulances because they are
familiar with three-wheeler taxis known as auto-rickshaws that
operate in their cities. They work with us 24 hours a day and are
sent to camps on call,” said Samak.
“We transferred nine patients to the Mina General Hospital today,
the first day of Haj. The number will go up in the coming days when
people will come back exhausted from Arafat and after the ritual of
stoning,” Samak said.
One of the Ekhla Tibbi drivers, Abdul Mannan from Bangladesh, said
that he enjoys driving this vehicle and feels happy when he takes an
ailing pilgrim to hospital.
“I will get SR1,200 for seven days’ work. But that’s not important;
I can earn more if I work in any food shop. What I get here is
satisfaction. I feel that if I’m able to save someone’s life, Allah
will reward me.”
This vehicle has been designed in such a way that the driver and the
paramedic can console the patients by talking to them.
“Patients generally have a lot of concerns, such as whether they
will take so much time to reach hospitals or whether they will be
able to survive till then. In that state of mind they need somebody
to console them and boost their confidence.
“We do that. We talk to patients and try to divert their attention.
It helps a lot,” said Mobin Shakir, another driver.
The auto-rickshaw is another mode of transportation that is gaining
popularity in Haj. All the Haj establishments and even some
government organizations have equipped their task force with dozens
of such vehicles imported from India.
The bike, which is normally the fad of youngsters, is another most
sought-after vehicle in Mina. About 4,000 of them are in the tent
city, one Haj establishment official said. (Content Source:
Arab News)
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