Home ›› 29 Jul 2021 ›› Front
The demand for ambulance services witnessed a sharp increase in the country following a new surge in Covid-19 infections.
Stakeholders said the country was already suffering from a shortage of ambulances and the situation worsened when the daily number of Covid-19 cases suddenly jumped many folds across the country in recent weeks.
According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, until May 2021, a total of 7,076 vehicles, including 4,821 in Dhaka, obtained licenses for operating ambulances.
Of them, 493 ambulances received their registration in 2017; 563 ambulances in 2018; 665 ambulances in 2019, and 259 in first five months of present year.
Since the number of government-run ambulances has not been increased adequately, private ambulance services have started charging exorbitantly high fares taking advantage of the crisis.
“I had no option but to take my mother on a rickshaw-van from Mohammadpur’s Beribadh area to the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital amid scorching heat,” Aminul Islam, son of a 65-year-old patient, said while talking to The Business Post.
“Carrying a patient on a rickshaw-van is not at all convenient but there was nothing I could do as I am unable to pay Tk 5,000 for hiring a private ambulance,” he said.
Md Liton Khan, general secretary of Dhaka Mahanagar Ambulance Malik Somobay Samity, a platform for 680 ambulance owners operating over 3,000 ambulances in Dhaka, said the demand for ambulances had increased many folds but the supply has not increased accordingly.
He also said that the demand for ambulances has been further increased by those who now cannot transport their ill family members using their personal vehicles due to the strict lockdown enforced by the government.
“In the past, ambulances used to carry patients only one-way to the hospital, but now no ambulance returns empty,” he said.
Private ambulance owners said that many unregistered ambulances are now operating in Dhaka to meet the growing demand.
“Over 500 ambulances, without any authorisation, have been operating in the streets over the last two months,” said trade body leader Liton.
BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder said that currently registration for all types of vehicles remained suspended due to pandemic.
Ambulance rent spikes amid crisis
Officials at the ambulance owners’ association said out of 3,000 ambulances, there are only 25 ambulances with ICU facilities and nearly 100 freezer vans to carry the dead in Dhaka.
Md Liton Miah, a driver of Mahim Ambulance Services, said that he used to get three to four trips a week, but now he gets called almost seven days a week.
Rent for all types of ambulances also increased by at least 40 per cent.
Drivers said a privately-owned general ambulance now charge between TK 5,000 to TK 6,000 for a single trip from Dhaka Medical College Hospital to Savar, which was between TK 3,000-TK 4,000 before.
On the other hand, ICU ambulances costs at least TK 30,000 as the ambulance can provide additional services similar to an ICU bed of a hospital.
They also said that freezer vans cost 50 per cent more than normal ambulance and it also charges additional Tk 500 per hour to keep a body refrigerated under 8 degree Celsius.
However, ambulance owners said that the rent went higher due to additional costs in maintaining Covid guidelines set by the government.
Md Mokter Sarker, owner of Mahim Ambulance Services, said that while transporting Covid patients, ambulance services now need different types of disinfectants, sanitizers, sprays and sterilised wipes to ensure the safety of its driver and his assistants.
“Sometimes, we have to set up a quarantine camp for ambulance staff which is also very expensive,” he added.
No precise data on active ambulances
Health service officials estimated that about 900 government-owned ambulances, including 402 ambulances in upazila health complexes, are providing services to the people at a relatively lower cost.
The Business Post could not find any accurate figure regarding ambulances, both public and private, that are currently operating in Bangladesh.
“BRTA records data based on the number of ambulance licenses awarded over the years, but it has no statistics on how many of them are currently in operation right now,” BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder said.
He also said that BRTA too was unaware about some ambulances operating without license.
“BRTA operates mobile courts and police frequently take actions against the errant ambulances on the roads,” he said.
Meanwhile, DGHS Director (Hospital) Md Farid Hossain Miah said that the DGHS has no control over the service quality of ambulance as well as their prices as the ambulance have no accountability to health department.
