Bengaluru biker-brothers turn ambulance drivers to help COVID-19 patients

While India grapples with the second wave of COVID-19, common people across the country are stepping up to help others in distress. Among these are two biker brothers from Bengaluru, Murthaza Junaid and Muteeb Zoheb, who have been volunteering as ambulance drivers.

"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. "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," Zoheb said.

He further said that they have been volunteering as ambulance drivers for the last three weeks. "People used to get the patients in two-wheelers and autos because they could not afford ambulance service," he added.

Zoheb also urged people to volunteer and help people in distress. Junaid 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 said. According to official data issued on Tuesday, India recorded 2,63,533 fresh infections of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. There are 33,53,765 active cases of COVID across the country.