Patients bear the brunt

Both the two ambulances of Tangail's Bhuapur Hospital have remained out of order for long due to lack of necessary maintenance and repairing works, much to the sufferings of patients, especially emergency cares.

One of the ambulances has remained inoperative for the last nine years while the other for the last eight months, said hospital authorities. 

As a result, relatives often faced great problem in taking serious patients to Tangail General Hospital, 30 km from Bhuapur Hospital. They have to rent vehicles from outside, including three-wheelers.

Sometimes the condition of patients worsened further while travelling the vehicles on the way to the hospital, said rights activist Md Kamal Hossain of Bhuapur.

The only ambulance went out of order in 2009. Later, a new ambulance was given for the hospital in 2010, which also went out of order at the beginning of this year, said the authority. 

Around three lakh people of the upazila and a part of the adjacent Ghatail upazila are dependent on the 50-bed hospital for medical treatment, said Kamal Hossain. 

Dr Abu Sama, upazla health and family planning officer in Bhuapur, said the ambulances were repaired several times previously.

Moreover, several parts were changed at the beginning of this year but they could not run the ambulances, he said.

At present, they cannot repair them due to lack of funds, he said.

They have already informed the higher authority about the matter but no response has been received yet, said Abu Sama.