65-year-old Babu Bharti is determined to make Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh, a green zone with no coronavirus cases.
Till then he says he will not go home, not even for Ramzaan.
The elderly man who drives an ambulance told the Times of India:
I sleep in the ambulance, I shower when I find a tubewell in a field. Arrangements for my food are made by the district hospital where I work. I have decided to go home only once we win the battle against coronavirus.
Bharti, who works for the district hospital for ₹17,000, hasn’t seen his family in 42 days.
I talk to my family every morning to assure them that I’m safe. I can’t go back because I have a duty to do here. With infection rates peaking, ambulance services are required more than ever to carry suspected patients for testing.
His dedication was lauded by Dr. Neeraj Sharma, in-charge of the rapid action team, who said:
We have brought nearly 1,100 suspected Covid-19 patients for tests at the district hospital and at least 700 of them were ferried by Bharti. His dedication is unparalleled. He is ready with his ambulance at any time of the day and night.