With the lockdown being enforced in India, the streets in and across Bangalore, have started to become emptier and uncongested. You only see a countable few pedestrians, going out for groceries, and an even smaller number, going out to take a stroll.
If you happen to walk into one of the dozens of lanes dissecting the areas of Shivajinagar, Pulikeshinagar or Bharatinagar, look out for a man with a safety mask. He will be riding a white scooter with the words ‘AMBULANCE’ printed on it. He is Doctor Syed Shabbir: the man who has taken it as his responsibility to ride across the streets and alleyways of his locality, to provide the dwellers with commonplace medical assistance and grocery essentials.
With many clinics and medical services being temporarily closed, Dr. Shabbir’s two-wheel ambulance is what many residents are looking forward to.
The B.Pac trained doctor is the Vice Principal of a paramedic college at the Santosh Group of Institutions. He has been running his two-wheel ambulance errands since 25th March; with a scooter, he borrowed from the institution he works at.
The doctor supplies the dwellers of the myriad lanes with remedies for blood pressure and diabetes. He feels diabetics need a strong dose of antibiotics regularly to make it through the course of the pandemic, and helps in staying healthy and fit for those affected.
He goes door-to-door, spreading awareness among the people about the symptoms of the coronavirus, and guides them on how to stay healthy, hygienic and safe.
For it, the doctor has teamed up with the police-stations of Pulikeshinagar and Bharatinagar. A patient who is in need of health can now contact one of the two police-stations, and they will be prompted to Dr. Shabbir, who will assist and support them.
Early in the morning, when thousands of people of the city are still asleep in the cosy comforts of their homes, Dr. Shabbir masks up, and starts off on his famous scooter, every single day. He rides across the foggy winds in the mornings, going through alleys, broad and narrow from house to house, delivering grocery and providing medication.
He has helped as many as 10,000 homes, in only one month of his endeavour. The doctor aids people from all walks of life, including workers and immigrants who have been overseen by most of the state authorities.
Dr. Shabbirs’s family had panicked and detested earlier, but have soon understood and accepted the doctor’s undying determination and good intentions.
After having aided thousands of home, covering a distance of 125 kilometres, the doctor masks up once again, and gets on his sturdy two-wheeler, and sets off on the road. Now the sun is at the peak, and the summer heats are crushing. The doctor rides on to the final ride of the day. Then, a ride to his home, but the endeavour does not end. A new day is arriving, and he has a lot of work to do.