Meet 2 barbers who turned paramedics to help riot patients at Al-Hind Hospital
New Delhi: It was around 12 in the afternoon of February 24 when Wasim, the local barber at Mustafabad received a call from Dr. Meraj from the adjoining Al-Hind Hospital. As he picked up the call, he was asked to immediately come to the hospital for shaving the heads of patients with serious head injuries during riots. Shahzad, another barber from the same area was called too. When they reached the hospital they saw people with blood-stained clothes crying in pain and despair. Some were so serious to even look at.
As the three doctor brothers at Al-Hind Hospital Dr. MA Anwar, Dr. Meraj and Dr. Siraj in Mustafabad held their scalpels to do surgeries, the two barbers Wasim and Shahzad held their scissors to shave heads. However, it took them only minutes to realise that mere shaving of hair won't do as the influx of patients was much more for the three doctors and two paramedic staff to handle. They soon switched roles from barbers to emergency paramedics. Their trained and steady hands in handling blades and scissors gave them the edge and confidence for stitches and sutures.
"We did bandages and even learnt to do sutures as the doctors by our side guided us. There was no help coming from anywhere but patients kept flowing in with grievous head injuries, I never thought I would do this ever in my life," Shahzad said.
Wasim, who is the 'shagird' of Shahzad and have their shops opposite each other said that this was the most horrifying days of his life.
"We did not sleep the whole night on February 24 and the next day. I did the head wash of the patients who had serious head injuries. I learnt to do dressing within minutes and applied alum or betadine on the head to stop blood," Wasim said, who himself is a patient of Varicose Veins disease.
Al-Hind Hospital at Mustafabad became the only hospital within reach amidst riot-affected areas of Shiv Vihar, Chand Bagh and Brijpuri which treated patients tirelessly without any external help.
