Taltali (Barguna) Correspondent

The Bangladesh Ambulance Owners Welfare Association has called for an indefinite ambulance strike across the country from 6 am tomorrow, Wednesday (July 29) on a five-point demand. The strike may also affect Taltoli, Barguna. This has raised concerns about the transportation of emergency patients and the need to take patients elsewhere for better treatment.

The association's five-point demands include implementation of commercial policies related to ambulances, provision of ambulance parking facilities in government hospitals, waiver of ambulance tolls as per the High Court verdict, bringing freezer vans carrying bodies and ambulances transporting bodies under toll-free facilities, and ensuring 24-hour fuel supply for ambulances.

Md. Kabir Mridha, general secretary of Taltali Ambulance Owners Association, said, "If the strike decision is implemented in Taltali, like in other areas of the country, there may be a crisis in emergency patient transportation. The government needs to take quick and effective steps to resolve the long-standing problems."

He also said that ambulance is an emergency service. Therefore, considering the suffering of patients, there is a need for a quick agreement between the government and the concerned associations.

Every day, seriously ill patients, accident-injured people, pregnant and dying patients are taken from Taltoli to various hospitals in the country, including Barguna, Amtoli, Patuakhali, Barisal. As a result, locals fear that the suffering of ensuring emergency treatment for these patients will increase if the indefinite strike begins.

Meanwhile, ambulance workers fear that the situation could become more complicated if the government does not take any visible steps to meet their demands before the strike.