Unaware of ongoing terror, the crew responded to an emergency call and ended up aiding in the evacuation of victims
The Help Foundation ambulance that was used to ferry the injured
“There is an emergency here [Pahalgam], send your ambulance immediately,” was the call that Irfan Khan, 33, received on the helpline number 9484100200 on
Tuesday afternoon. Within minutes, Irfan alerted Mubashir Wani, emergency medical trainer (EMT), and driver Manzoor Ahmed, 38, who were on the fully equipped cardiac ambulance, located close to Pahalgam, and rushed to the spot along with government ambulance 108 and other ambulance services.
“It was only on reaching the location, it was learnt that it was a terror attack at Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, Srinagar, which is not a motorable area. The security forces were getting those injured to the ambulance, and they were rushed to the Government Medical College, Anantnag, J&K,” recalled Irfan, speaking to mid-day from Srinagar. Irfan works for an NGO—Help Foundation, J&K, whose office is in Tulsibagh, Srinagar, and they have three cardiac ambulance services located at three different strategic points—Srinagar, Anantnag and Pattan, for handling any disaster or emergency calls.
Incidentally, the ambulance service could save the lives of some of the tourists injured in the terror attack by ensuring that the victims were rushed to the hospital within the golden hour. Mubashir was stationed at Anantnag and was closest to Pahalgam. “We have trained EMT staff on the ambulance who coordinate with the doctors on call, and our ambulance is also equipped with a ventilator and other life-saving devices to handle any emergency situation on the road. It is unfortunate that the terrorists targeted innocent tourists, and we condemn the same,” said Irfan.
When asked if the terror attack would impact tourism in J&K, the project manager said that the valley had been looking forward to the tourism season, as over eight to nine lakh tourists visited the Tulip Garden when the season started from March 15 to March 31 this year. “The season begins thereafter from April and goes on until July/August. However, this shootout incident would hamper the tourism industry adversely,” said Irfan. “The residents of Srinagar and J&K condemned the incident and carried out various protests across the valley,” he added.
Asked if it was a chargeable service, Irfan said, “We do not charge any fees for providing emergency services. Also, at any given point in time, we otherwise charge a nominal amount for ferrying even local patients from their place of stay to the hospital in case of emergency. Our NGO is known for providing assistance to those in need, and we continue to provide such a service.”
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