MINA, 9 January 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.
