Khipro: If you’re a resident of Achhro Thar, the vast ‘white desert’ that connects Pakistan to India’s Rajasthan, and you feel unwell, who’re you going to call? Well, owing to patchy signals in the area, you may be unable to give someone a phone call, but if you climb atop the nearest sand dune and call out for Dr Haathi Singh, the good doctor will reach you as soon as he hears your cry.
Dr Singh, the only MBBS doctor in the area, and his emergency medical kit has been traversing the desert on a ‘camel ambulance’ for ten years now. “It is not possible for me to cover the entire Achhro Thar area,” Dr Singh tells The Express Tribune, “But I try to attend to as many patients as I can.” After years of voluntary service, Dr Singh now also works at the Saeedao Government Dispensary, the only medical facility catering to an area of 4,000 square kilometers. |
