Gulf-returnee runs free 24/7 ambulance service

Old City: A gulf-returnee who was not satisfied being away from the homeland, returned back to serve the ‘disadvantaged’ back home and remains one of the rare examples of successfully balancing his social work with his own business. Whenever he gets a call for an ambulance service, he grabs the wheel and rushes to the spot. He always remains available during the night hours. 

Md Haroon Osman, the founder of SEVA, a Human Rights & Educational Society has dedicated to this kind of social service following death of his father a few years back. “Following the death of my father, I could not get an ambulance service and we could only bring him back in an auto. The situation cannot be explained, as my mother had to use her scarf to cover his legs which were hanging outside all along the way. Moreover, after reaching home we were also not able to arrange for his Kafan (Shroud) immediately,” he recalls. 

From that day, Haroon decided that at least he could help some people who wish to get back the dead bodies of their kin from Osmania or Gandhi hospital back home, as most of them are from poor background. Following donation of a vehicle by MIM for serving the purpose of ambulance, he made about 400 trips mostly bringing back the deceased back to home from State run hospitals, since 2016. The ambulance also serves for emergency situations for patients, but mostly dedicated to serving for the above purpose under the Nampally constituency.   

In the age when most of the social services are done with the help of donations or are part of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activity, the SEVA offers free services which include Dead Body Freezer and Kafan (Shroud) to those who cannot afford. “With whatever limited contributions we are able to make, we serve not only for Muslims, but everyone irrespective of religion and caste. Rock Church in First Lancer, one of the beneficiaries of Dead Body Freezer, which is one of the first services prior to ambulance service,” he explains. 

Registered in 2012, the SEVA is currently led by Syed Raheemuddin as its Chairman and Syed Saleemuddin as Vice Chairman, the latter patronises U-needs clinic and diagnostic centre, which also runs with the service motto, given the fact that its general physician does not charge the patients for check-up and continues to serve on a paltry monthly salary. 

Haroon started the SEVA with blood donation services and free food distribution has now slowly taken the shape of serving the elderly, which he says ‘to get blessings’. “I faced criticism from my family earlier, but now my wife and also my daughter helps me in this endeavour,” he exudes. 

BY Md Nizamuddin