Man drives disabled people to hospital for free in southeast Turkey

The placard behind a motorcycle used by a disabled man in Turkey’s southeastern province of Adıyaman states: “I don’t need people who tell me what to do, I need people who will walk with me.” This summarizes the story of Serkan Aslan, the head of the Disability Association in the province’s Kahra district.

Aslan is unable to walk and uses a special vehicle to get around. After realizing that most disabled locals in Kahta do not own such a vehicle, he decided to alter his own, attaching two extra seats at the back in order to carry other disabled people to their hospital appointments.

Three months ago, he started picking up disabled people from their homes and taking them to hospitals “free of charge at any time of the day.”

Aslan has also started running other errands for locals. “Members of Kahta disability association and elderly people cannot go out in the summer. I sent text messages to them and told them that I would help whenever they need,” he said.

İsmet Günay, one of the disabled men living in Kahta, said he is happy with the service provided by
Aslan and he can now go to hospital thanks to the association, “without causing trouble to anyone”.
 â€œOur brother Serkan Aslan comes whenever we call him. He takes us to hospital and back home. May God be with him,” said Mustafa Kıyak, another disabled man in the district.