Hyderabad: A K Khan, IPS,(Retd), Advisor to Govt Of Telangana, Minorities Welfare flagged of a fleet of 14 Ambulances and patient transfer vehicles which have been jointly put together by NGOs Helping Hand Foundation, Safa Baitul Maal and Access Foundation at Le Palace Royale, Secunderabad on Thursday.
The aforesaid NGOs started SAHARA Ambulance Services which will cater to all the areas within the city of Hyderabad. Keeping in view the problems being faced by the patients to reach the hospitals due to the shortage of ambulances and also the higher charges being collected by the Private Ambulance providers.
A K Khan also released a Helpline number – 7569 600 800 which will be connected to a command center, managed by an SDIF (Social Data Initiatives Forum) and will be common for all these GPS fitted vehicles.
Speaking on the occasion AK Khan said that “It is a laudable effort towards the burial and cremation which has become a big issue these days. Not only among the poor but also among the middle-class particularly due to COVID.”
He complimented the four organisations (Helping Hand Foundation, Safa Baitul Maal, Access Foundation and SDIF), which have joined hands and come forward with this effort. “I am sure that a lot of people will avail benefits, especially people from Hyderabad and Secunderabad,” he added.
Mirza Feroz Baig, Volunteer and Coordinator of the programme said, “Nominal charges will be collected from patients for these services however it will be free of cost for the deserving ones. Even though all the NGOs started their own operations, it was observed that better services could be provided when we work under one Helpline. This way our efforts would be more channelized and productive. Two vehicles for transportation for a dignified burial of dead bodies, by Access Foundation and Caring Citizens Collective will also be inaugurated which will be used by an NGO Youth Welfare Telangana which has been working exhaustively to provide dignified burials to the deceased.