By S.T. Ravikumar

Mysore/Mysuru: In the fight against the outbreak of Coronavirus, not only healthcare workers and doctors are taking the lead but ambulance drivers, who are always on a move to attend medical emergencies, are also in the forefront.

Every morning, Sharanappa (name changed on request), an ambulance driver in Mysuru, waits for a call from the Health Department. His daily routine is to pick up COVID-19 positive patients from their homes, ferry them to hospitals and drop them back after treatment. For Sharanappa and fellow ambulance drivers, this is the first time they are witnessing such a crisis where they have to protect themselves fully and be ready anytime. They work day and night to save lives but they are not ‘wanted’ either by their friends, families or relatives. These Corona Warriors are risking their lives and a majority of them have not seen their loved ones for many weeks. 

Since March, drivers of 16 ‘108’ ambulances and 6 ambulances of the Department of Health and Family Welfare are working without a break. They sleep in their vehicles or in nearby Primary Health Centre after a day’s hectic work. The Government has provided them with the safety gadgets like face masks, PPE kits and sanitisers to be used before and after shifting patients. 

Services go unnoticed

Each vehicle is thoroughly sanitised every time after picking or dropping patients. Despite working 24X7 on par with doctors and nurses, the services of these unsung heroes have gone unnoticed. Friends and relatives hesitate to talk with them let alone meeting them personally due to fear of virus contraction. 

After transporting patients, drivers heave a sigh of relief, not just because they safely have dropped off the patients but also because they can now remove the suffocating protective gown. After completing a gruelling 12-hour-long shift — sometimes it stretches for 16 hours — most of them take bath in the hospital premises or at Primary Health Centres and get back into the ambulance where they will spend the night. If they are lucky, they can get to speak to their loved ones. 

Social stigma

The drivers are experiencing a kind of stigma in the society and are being treated as ‘untouchables’ by people who are known to them. Purushotham, a driver of ‘108’ ambulance from H.D. Kote said that he has been asked by his family members not to come home till the situation improves. 

“I haven’t seen my little son for weeks. I cannot go home because of my duty. I eat outside and sleep in my ambulance. This has been my routine since March,” he says. 

There are other ambulance drivers whose stories may match with that of Purushotham. Every morning they need to be ready with PPE kits and other safety gadgets to pick up patients. And after dropping them, they need to sanitise their body and disinfect the vehicle with chemicals before attending to the next patient. “We do not mind working day and night but what we are asking is little recognition by our higher-ups,” they say. 

No demand

Since March, there is no demand for most of the private ambulances which were hitherto used to shift patients and dead bodies. As their vehicles are not designed to pick up or drop COVID-19 patients, they are virtually out of job since five months. They have appealed to the authorities to utilise their services along with drivers of ‘108’ ambulances.

“Even we have expertise in shifting patients and we can be called to shift COVID patients from one place to another. In that way even we can take care of our livelihood,” says Lokesh, an Omni ambulance driver.