Dhaka:Patients and their families have been left in distress at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as private ambulance operators launched an indefinite strike demanding designated parking facilities. The strike left many people struggling to transport critically ill patients to other hospitals or take the bodies of deceased relatives' home.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Md Shahadat Hossain, general secretary of the DMCH Private Ambulance Owners' Association, stated that all private ambulances had been removed from the hospital premises after the new director, Brigadier General AKM Farhad Hossain, took office. Operators were initially asked to use an area beneath the hospital's new building for parking, where they installed CCTV cameras, lights, and a gate, but were later instructed to remove their vehicles from that area as well.
Shahadat explained that police sergeants fined them for parking on the streets, despite the operators having spent several lakh taka to set up parking facilities. As a result, they called the strike to demand a designated parking space, expressing willingness to pay for parking beneath the new building. The strike will continue until their demand is met.
The impact of the ambulance shortage was evident on the hospital premises, where patients' relatives struggled to arrange transport. Md Shahin, from Narayanganj, recounted his difficulty in finding an ambulance to transport his deceased grandmother’s body. Similarly, Mohammad Monir Hossain faced challenges after his nephew, who died at the hospital, needed transport.
Abdul Ahad, whose mother-in-law required urgent transfer to another hospital, found himself without an available ambulance. He expressed concerns over her deteriorating condition due to the delay.
Several DMCH staff members noted that many resorted to using auto-rickshaws, CNG-run three-wheelers, and pickup vans for transport. They urged hospital authorities to resolve the dispute with the ambulance operators. Repeated attempts to contact DMCH Director AKM Farhad Hossain for comment went unanswered.
Source United News of Bangladesh