Dismantle ambulance syndicates

A recent incident exposed a chilling example of how an "ambulance syndicate" allegedly caused the death of man in Shariatpur. Reportedly, the ambulance carrying Jamshed Ali to Dhaka for advanced treatment was deliberately obstructed by influential local ambulance owners and drivers. His relatives had refused to pay an illegally inflated fare and instead hired an ambulance from outside the area. That decision became their "crime." As punishment, the ambulance carrying the critically ill patient was stopped twice, first at Kotapara and later at Jamtala, detaining him for nearly one and a half hours. Despite desperate pleas from his family, the syndicate members showed no mercy. Jamshed Ali eventually collapsed and died on the road, never reaching the hospital.
What makes the incident even more alarming is that it is not an isolated case. Just last August, a newborn reportedly died in the same area after being blocked by the same syndicate. Such repeated tragedies raise serious questions about under whose patronage do these ambulance syndicates operate? Who allows them to dominate hospital gates and operate above the law? Are local administrations and law-enforcement agencies truly powerless, or is there silent complicity?
Ambulance service is not a luxury. It is an essential emergency service. Creating monopolies and holding patients hostage is a criminal offence.
The death of Jamshed Ali should serve as a wake-up call. Unless these syndicates are dismantled, such tragedies will continue. Those responsible must be arrested immediately and given exemplary punishment. Furthermore, the government must enforce fixed ambulance fare policies and introduce strict monitoring mechanisms at all public hospitals.
It is time to uproot those who trade in human lives. The state must ensure that no other patient dies on the way to a hospital due to such inhuman obstruction.

Ashikujaman Syed
syedashikujaman@yahoo.com