COVID-19: Biker brothers turn ambulance drivers to help needy amid crisis in Bengaluru

As lakhs of Indians continue to battle the coronavirus contagion, a biker brother duo has come forward to render help to those in need. Murthaza Junaid and Muteeb Zoheb, both residents of Bengaluru, have been volunteering as ambulance drivers ferrying COVID patients to and from hospitals.  The brothers, who’ve been trained in rescue, said that they’ve been watching people pulling all stops to secure beds and oxygen in the recent days and therefore, they decided to volunteer.

"I have seen visuals where people were running from pillar to post for hospitals and there is a scarcity of beds and oxygen. I could see the pain of people. I did not want to sit back and complain, so we started volunteering," Muteeb Zoheb told ANI.

Speaking further, Muteeb stressed that both, he and his brother have been trained on evacuation and have already been using oximeters for their high-altitude travels. Now, they use the same skill to provide first aid to patients.  "As we travel across India and neighbouring countries on our bikes, we have been trained on evacuation. Ladakh is at a high altitude. On the saturation level, we have been using oximeters there also and checking the physical condition of the riders. We are using the same tools and we are getting a similar experience to check patients and give them first aid," he said.

"It is the need of the time. We have taken the opportunity to help people on the ground. The transformation is heartwarming. Either we can watch, or we can do something. We chose to do," Junaid told ANI revealing that they've been volunteering for past three weeks.

COVID in India

This comes as the coronavirus infection continues to wreak havoc across the country. As of now, 2,57,72,440 cases have been registered in the country. While 2,23,55,440 have successfully recovered, a total of 2,87,122 have died. Additionally, there are 31,29,878 currently active cases in the country. On May 20, 276110 new positive cases were recorded in addition to 3874 deaths, as per the latest data by the Ministry of Health. 

Image: ANI