PATHANAMTHITTA : With thousands of pilgrims arriving at Sabarimala daily, their health and safety assumes prime importance. And there are multiple groups of people who work round the clock to ensure that medical emergencies are attended to.
Meet Abhilash K K, 44, driver of the Force Gurkha of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) at Sannidhanam. The vehicle is used as an off-road ambulance for pilgrims. He has shifted 120 devotees in need of immediate medical care to hospital this season alone.“It is a very challenging job. I drive the ambulance from Sannidhanam to Pampa to save the lives of pilgrims past thousands others trekking the same route. As an ambulance driver, I have to take patients immediately to Pampa to save lives. At the same time, I also have to ensure the safety of pilgrims, especially children, trekking to the hill shrine and back,” says Abhilash.
“I have been working as the driver of the emergency rescue vehicle since 2016. The TDB vehicle is exclusively for shifting pilgrims during medical emergencies,” he said.
“We take five to six minutes to cover the 4.2km distance from Sannidhanam to Pampa Government Hospital. If a pilgrim needs more medical attention, they are shifted to major hospitals in another ambulance from Pampa. On a day, we shift at least eight patients. This season, we moved 120 persons.”
The majority of cases were cardiac-related. Sometimes, we shift pilgrims, including children, who fall victim to wild boars attacks,” says Abhilash, a native of Powdikonam in Thiruvananthapuram, told TNIE.
The makeshift ambulance has a stretcher, oxygen cylinder, portable ventilator and defibrillator. “I joined as a ‘kazhakom’ of TDB around 20 years ago. I work at the Sree Mahadeva Temple, Kazhakottam. However, when Sabarimala season begins I shift my area of operation. The ambulance facility was arranged in 2016 when Prayar Gopalakrishnan was president of the TDB.
Before joining Devaswom Board, I was working as a driver and I had expressed interest to work as the ambulance driver at Sannidhanam,” he said.
“The job is very satisfactory as we work to save the lives of devotees. I have had instances where pilgrims, whose lives were saved because of the timely intervention, return in subsequent seasons and recognise and thank us,” said Abhilash.
For Manu M R, the nursing officer of the TDB ambulance, this is his third stint in Sabarimala. “We are happy to provide our service to ensure timely medical care for pilgrims,” he said.