Photo courtesy: PTI
New Delhi: North Delhi couple, Himanshu and Twinkle Kalia, also known as ‘ambulance couple’ spend their day ferrying the ill to hospital, fetch medicines, arrange funerals and sometimes, step in to perform last rites too amid the second wave of COVID-19 that has ravaged Delhi.
Cloaked in PPE suits, face shields and masks, the Kalias go where even close relatives fear to tread. They make sure their fleet of 12 ambulances is road ready to tackle any emergency, ‘mint’ quoted from PTI news.
“We don’t put it in records but in the second wave of coronavirus, we have been helping almost 20-25 patients daily to reach hospitals. We have performed cremations of 80 people, who have died of Covid-19, and helped over 1,000 people in arranging for cremations,” Himanshu, 42, was quoted as saying, adding that it all free of cost.
Twinkle told PTI, that a few days ago, they got a call from Mayur Vihar in east Delhi about a patient who had died in an auto-rickshaw on the way to the hospital. “We reached there, got a doctor to the spot, and performed her cremation at the Sarai Kale Khan crematorium.”
The 39-year-old gutsy woman is a cancer survivor and the couple has two daughters, Japji (13) and Riddhi (7).
The Kalias have publicised the free services of their fleet. Himanshu’s mobile number has been pasted at various places across the city.
They get distress calls from all over Delhi and also from Ghaziabad and Noida. The word has spread and some hospitals have also started reaching out. Some know him for not just services but also his skills behind the wheel. “Due to my fast driving, even through traffic, many hospitals call me in emergency situations to save the lives of patients,” Himanshu was quoted as saying.
Sometimes the ambulance has to do the job of a hearse. Besides strangers, the couple also supports their team of 18 people. Both Himanshu and Twinkle also work as insurance agents and said they spend their earnings in serving humanity.
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