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In the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, Karimul Hak — once a worker in a tea garden — is now devotedly providing emergency medical assistance to people in his own distinctive way.
In 1995, Karimul experienced a heartbreaking event that altered his life forever. He tried to arrange an ambulance for his mother who had become seriously ill, but unfortunately, she passed away due to a cardiac arrest before he could do so. However, when his colleague Azizul became unwell, Karimul was determined to make sure that the same thing would not happen again.
So, he strapped the man in distress to his back and set off on a 50 km bike ride to the nearest hospital, ultimately saving his life.This event made Karimul realise his mission - to make sure no one died due to lack of access to ambulance services.
“My mother died at home. I tried my best but could not get an ambulance for her. After her death, I thought about the problem that thousands of people in the remote areas of Malbazar, particularly in forest villages and tea estates, face. I realised many people, particularly the poor, often die for lack of proper treatment.” - Karimul Hak, Ambulance Dada
Karimul Hak, 57, was born in Dhulabari as the third of six children born to his parents, who were both farmhands. Owing to this, he had to cut short his education before finishing class 3 [Biswajit Jha, 2021] and took up casual jobs in nearby tea plantations.
Karimul purchased a motorbike with his entire life savings back in 1998. It is now used as an ambulance to take people who are critically ill to the hospital without any charge. In the beginning, the vehicle was just a two-wheeler with an iron-like box-looking sick carrier attached to it. However, today it has been updated and fitted with a more contemporary sidecar carrying an oxygen tank for the patient. A team of two motorbikes and two cars is used by the service each day to carry around three or four patients at once. So far, he has saved more than 7,000 people across 20 villages of West Bengal.
Affectionately referred to as ‘Bike Ambulance Dada’, Karimul expends half of his meagre pay of INR 4,000 in aiding his mission. In addition to the bike ambulance service, he has also learned basic first aid and conducts frequent health camps in tribal villages.
In 2017, Hak was awarded the Padma Shri, the country’s highest civilian honour, in recognition of his contributions to society. He was also invited to participate in the Karamveer episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 12 in 2021. Following journalist Biswajit Jha’s biography, 'Bike Ambulance Dada: The Inspiring Story Of Karimul Hak", a biopic on Hak’s life is expected to hit theatres in the foreseeable future. Recently, Hak signed an agreement with a Mumbai-based producer for a Hindi movie based on him.
Karimul is aware that he can no longer continue this work as he is growing old. His true contentment lies in accomplishing his dream to construct a free hospital nearby his residence for the benefit of his locality. This will make sure that access to medical care is not a luxury for the poor and disadvantaged.
In the tribal town of Dhalabari, the ambulance service Karimul established on his family’s small land has grown into a hospital, nurse training facility and sewing institute. He has been working to turn his dream into a reality for 4 years now. With the generous support of donors and benefactors who donated to his 2018 campaign, Hak began the construction of ‘Manoseva Hospital’ with the intention of providing healthcare to those in need.
Although it is still in progress, there is a long way to go until the hospital will be available to serve the public. The biggest challenge that Hak and his dream project are currently facing is the lack of funds.
“I have always wished to build a care centre outside my house so that people don’t have to travel far. I want to keep doing this work and then, when I die, my two sons will carry my mission forward.” - Karimul
Karimul needs about 40 lakhs more to see his dream medical facility to the end and equip it with all the necessary features that will enable it to open its doors to the needy. With a heart full of hope, he is once again asking for your generous support in his noble endeavour. Even a small help from you could be favourable to his mission, and take him one step closer to fulfilling his dream of building a hospital to serve the poor.
Karimul’s humble’s request is that you join him by extending your support, so the hospital construction can be completed and he can soon start extending medical aid to the desperate people awaiting life-saving treatment and care. Click here to donate.
Charity No : 319201431163
