Padma Awardee Karimul Haque meets PM Modi at Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal

Padma awardee Karimul Haque, popularly known as 'Bike Ambulance Dada,' met PM Modi at Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal on Saturday, April 9. Haque received the Padma Shri Award for his innovative approach to social care by ferrying patients to medical facilities on his motorcycle in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district.

PM Modi meets Padma awardee Karimul Haque

According to reports, in 1995 Haque had gone door to door seeking help for his ailing mother who was in urgent need of medical treatment, but he was not able to find an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Consequently, his mother died at home due to a heart attack. Following this, he took a vow to not let anyone else die due to insufficient ambulance coverage.

Reports said, when one of Haque's colleagues collapsed on the ground, he came up with the idea for a motorbike ambulance. Haque bound him to his back and forced him to ride pillion to the nearest hospital because a regular ambulance could not reach him in time. Haque was inspired to keep going after his coworker recovered from the illness.

'Bike Ambulance Dada' has ferried 5,500 passengers for free

As per reports, since 1998, Haque has provided ambulance service to over 20 villages in and around Dhalabari where basic facilities like roads and electricity are lacking and the nearest hospital is 45 kilometres (28 miles) away. As of 2019, he had ferried between 5,000 and 5,500 passengers for free, reports added. He offers basic first aid instruction to farmers, in addition to the ambulance service. He also conducts health camps in tribal areas on a regular basis.

Reportedly, Haque is a resident of Malbazar's Rajadanga and a worker in West Bengal's tea gardens. His wife Anjuya Begum, his two sons Rajesh and Raju, and their wives live with him. The family is assisted by his sons' betel leaf shop and cellphone repair shop in Rajadanga. The majority of Haque's earnings are spent on fuel and medications, said reports. On January 1, 2021, he appeared in Kaun Banega Crorepati alongside actor Sonu Sood.

'Bike Ambulance Dada,' a book about Karimul Haque's life, has been released. Biswajit Jha, a journalist turned social entrepreneur, wrote the novel, which was released by Penguin Random House India in January 2021.

(with inputs from ANI)

Picture Credit: ANI