Naga social worker turns his car into ambulance, helps 48 women deliver safely

He ferried 48 pregnant women to the district hospital in Mon in the nick of time, saving not just their lives but also that of their babies.
COVID warrior Hongnao Konyak.
COVID warrior Hongnao Konyak.

GUWAHATI: For 48 mothers and scores of patients in a remote Nagaland district, there is a “guardian angel”.

Hongnao Konyak, a 39-year-old social worker from Mon, went beyond being a mere Good Samaritan in these difficult times of the pandemic when people are afraid of stepping out of their home.

Hongnao used his own car and resources and turned it into an ambulance. He ferried 48 pregnant women to the district hospital in Mon in the nick of time, saving not just their lives but also that of their babies. He extended the humanitarian service also to over 100 other patients.

The beneficiaries are grateful to the man who is the son of a retired school teacher.

“My neighbour was going through labour pain but holed up at home as a vehicle was not available in the lockdown. Then, someone told us about this guardian angel. So, we contacted him and he arrived in no time,” said Eunice Thalih, a resident of Mon.

She said he had helped another neighbour, a pregnant woman. People across Mon, which shares a border with Myanmar, learnt about Hongnao as the district administration had publicised his service. The man says he wanted to save lives.

“One day, I saw a patient in my neighbourhood struggling as vehicles were difficult to come by. I used my car and took him to the hospital. The act egged me on to helping others. I thought I could save the lives of patients by using my car. I sought to mobilise people for the purpose but none came forward. From April to August, I had turned my car into an ambulance. I had many sleepless nights,” Hongnao tells this newspaper.

Earlier, he had approached the District Task Force expressing his willingness to help patients in the lockdown. It shared his contact number at various levels for the benefit of people.

“When I helped the first patient, I thought I should continue this service. I approached the district administration. It granted me permission and publicised my service. People came to know about me. Soon, I started getting a lot of calls,” Hongnao says.

Twice, he had to drive to faraway Tezpur in Assam to visit a young Naga woman – an engineering graduate – who was mentally unstable and admitted to a hospital. Once she recovered, he took her to Mon.

“I had to spend a lot of money on fuel. The only help I received was from a petrol pump in Mon. It offered me 50 litres of fuel,” Hongnao says, adding, “My father had gifted me the car. He is happy that it was used to save lives”.

The district administration praised Hongnao’s service.

“It’s a thoughtful gesture. We are grateful to him. He was one person who had come forward to help the administration during the pandemic. Then, there are the Konyak Union and other civil society organisations which helped us a lot,” Mon District Magistrate Thavaseelan K told New Indian Express.

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