Women at work: Two young EMTs brave the roads of Peshawar

Salma Bibi, Rafaqat Bibi spend their day in the ambulance, ready to help.

PESHAWAR:

Though never in the foreground, the women of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) do not shy away from responsibility, be it at home or the frontlines. The women who work for Rescue 1122 have no qualms about risking their own safety when the call for help has to be attended.

In 2010 when the Rescue 1122 service started in K-P, only men were part of the team, but the need was realised as women victims often prefer being treated by the same sex. And there are many who are willing to take this life and death responsibility, despite the nature of the job which requires women to stay outdoors, in the ambulance, for the most of the working day.



Salma Bibi and Rafaqat Begum are two of 10 such dedicated women who are part of Rescue 1122 teams in Peshawar and in Mardan. The district of Mardan was the first to roll out paramedics who were women.

These two women emergency medical technicians (EMT) did not have to struggle through social hindrances to make their way towards this career. Theirs is a happy story of success which led them to a path where they are actively serving humanity.

The story of Salma

Hailing from Haripur, 28-year-old Salma Bibi is the middle child among nine siblings, whom she financially supports.

Salma Bibi completed her BA and chose to be trained as a lady health visitor. Her desire to reach out to people in times of need motivated her to take another step forward and apply for a post with Rescue 1122 in Peshawar in 2012.

She is a grade-11 worker who is living independently in a private hostel in Peshawar but still supports her family back at home.

The story of Rafaqat

Salma Bibi’s co-worker Rafaqat Bibi is another determined woman who is part of the rescue team in Peshawar.

Twenty-six-year-old Rafaqat Bibi, from Peshawar, is also a grade-11 worker. She says she was never stopped from pursuing a career by her parents. However, she adds, a majority of people in Peshawar do not accept it or find it appropriate for a woman to go out and work, especially in the field.

A veil of approval

Covering up is Rafaqat Bibi’s shield and ticket of approval to work on the streets, she says. “I work in purdah lest society minds,” something which could hinder her career of providing medical assistance.

Her brother, she says, is one of such people whom she had a difficult time convincing to let her continue with the job.

Salma Bibi and Rafaqat Bibi have been working together as rescue workers for more than two years.

Breaking the mould

The tasks that they are faced with daily break the stereotype which labels women as “too sensitive” to handle gory or shocking incidents.

Like all rescue workers, they were sent to Lahore for basic life support training which lasted six months, during which they were taught how to deal with every sort of emergency.

Rafaqat Bibi (left) and Salma Bibi (right) in a Rescue 1122 van in Old Haji Camp area. PHOTOS: ZAHIDUNNISA/EXPRESS

As Salma Bibi and Rafaqat Bibi’s strength lies in their emergency training, they are pros at tending to victims of road traffic accidents.

Although their job is to shift people from emergency sites after first aid administration to hospitals, sometimes they are faced with situations which require thinking on their feet and prompt action.

Recently, there was an emergency call to Rescue 1122 to which Salma Bibi was the responding officer. Rescue 1122 had to take a woman in labour to a hospital for delivery.

However, heavy traffic caused them to take the situation in their hands and so the baby was safely delivered in the Rescue 1122 van.

The two rescue workers are satisfied with their jobs but they have some complaints about the public.

Salma Bibi and Rafaqat Bibi say sometimes they get “prank calls” from people who call them asking for help but when the EMTs reach the site mentioned by the caller, there is no emergency.

“Such pranks waste the government’s resources as the van could have instead been used in a place where it is actually needed,” says Salma Bibi.

Working out of a van

The two EMTs work the morning shift, which starts from 8am and goes on till 2pm. Whether they are on duty or off duty, they spend the entire day in the ambulance as there is no place for them to sit.

The Rescue 1122 office is currently under construction in the Old Haji Camp area where Salma Bibi and Rafaqat Bibi are posted. There are no proper amenities, forcing these two and others to spend the day—whether it is hot or cold—outside. The two said there are no toilets for the women EMTs. Nonetheless, the lack of facilities does not stop the two women from working.

Speaking on behalf of paramedics, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi says these workers do not hesitate to risk their lives for the safety of others, but they are not given any token of appreciation. Faizi says even something as simple as a risk allowance is not part of the package.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2015.