Ensure punishment for criminals breaking ambulance syndicate

A newborn is the fruit of many days of dreams and love of parents, family and the countless relatives around that family. A newborn is a new human being in this world. If that child dies before breathing in the air and light of this world properly after birth, there is nothing more tragic. And if that death is caused by the tyranny of an ambulance syndicate, then it must be said there is nothing more barbaric than this. From reports published in the media, we learnt that in Shariatpur a newborn died in a patient-carrying ambulance because it was blocked. Allegations have arisen that this incident occurred as the ambulance was held up for a long time under the grip of Shariatpur’s ambulance driver syndicate.

According to the patient’s relatives and the police, Ruma Begum, wife of Nur Hossain Sardar of Koneshwar area in Damudya upazila, was pregnant. On Thursday (14 August) afternoon, when she went into labour, her relatives admitted her to a private hospital named New Metro Clinic in the district. There, through caesarean operation, she gave birth to a baby boy. However, the baby had some breathing problems from the moment of birth. Later, the hospital doctor advised taking the baby to Dhaka for better treatment. The family then hired a Dhaka-bound ambulance for Tk 5,000 to take the baby to Dhaka. After the journey began towards Dhaka with the ambulance, two local men named Sabuj Dewan and Abu Taher Dewan stopped the vehicle. They refused to allow any ambulance other than their own to go to Dhaka. At one stage they forcibly took away the keys from the Dhaka-bound ambulance driver and physically assaulted him. When the patient’s relatives tried to resist, they too were assaulted. In such a situation, after being held up for 40 minutes, the baby died inside the ambulance. On Friday night, the baby’s father Nur Hossain filed a case against five people over the incident.

RAB-8’s Madaripur camp commander, Superintendent of Police Mir Monir Hossain, confirmed that the prime accused in the case, Sabuj Dewan, had been arrested. RAB and the police are working to arrest the other accused. We demand that the others must be arrested without delay and brought under the harshest punishment. They must be charged with murder. If any of the accused get away, that would be a most disgraceful incident. It would be treachery against the newborn’s death. It would be treachery against the newborn’s entire family. Without exemplary punishment of the criminals, in no way can we wash away the guilt of our conscience before the baby’s parents.

The government must now become alert regarding this ambulance syndicate. Incidents like this are seen frequently in various district towns of the country including the capital Dhaka. What does it mean that an ambulance from one area cannot take patients to hospital in another area? Are ambulances like tempo stands, unable to operate outside a designated zone? And how do these syndicates dare to behave so inhumanely where a newborn patient is sitting? What is their power? Like in the transport sector, are these ambulance syndicates too occupied by political leaders? Without political shelter behind them, such ambulance drivers should not have dared to show so much audacity.

And the standard of these ambulances has also long been under discussion. It is reported that many ambulances do not even have proper oxygen service. Some people buy broken, old microbuses and run them as ambulances. Often, they have no contracts with hospitals. They occupy roads. If their ambulance is not taken for a patient, they create various kinds of harassment. Many ambulances, if they do not get patients, carry general passengers as well. Many reports have already been published that these ambulances are also involved with various criminal gangs. Many hospitals have no ambulance service of their own, and then they depend on these outside syndicates, which is another fragile aspect of our country’s healthcare.

Therefore, without further delay, break this ambulance syndicate by any means. Enforce mandatory law for proper quality control of every ambulance. Each ambulance must be under the jurisdiction of a specific hospital. They must be registered with the local administration. Otherwise, this will only increase anarchy in medical services.