Only sea ambulance out of order : Islanders in crisis to get emergency treatment
Hatiya (Noakhali) Correspondent
The only sea ambulance allocated for transporting patients in Hatiya, an isolated island upazila of Noakhali, has been lying idle for a long time.
This important emergency service vehicle has now become a 'patient' itself. As a result, ordinary people on the island are having to risk their lives to travel to the district headquarters or Noakhali Medical College Hospital for treatment by speedboat, trawler or boat.
According to local sources, the water ambulance was handed over to the Hatia Upazila Health Complex in February 2024 with the joint cooperation of the Bangladesh government and JICA. However, after being operational for a few days, it fell into disrepair due to lack of regular maintenance and adequate supervision. Currently, it is lying abandoned, tied with ropes on the eastern side of the important Nalchira Ghat in the upazila, which becomes even more risky during cyclones or high tides.
Local resident Nipu Khalji said, "Water ambulances were launched in Hatia several times before, but after a few days, they were stopped due to various reasons. The suffering of the common people seems to have no end."
Abdur Rahman, a businessman from Nalchira Ghat, said that several dying patients from Hatia died midway while being sent to Noakhali by trawler. If the water ambulance had been operational, many lives might have been saved.
When asked about the matter, Hatia Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Manasi Rani Sarkar said, “The water ambulance is not being operated due to non-appointment of drivers, non-allocation of fuel and engine malfunction under the July 2024 operational plan of the Department of Health (UHC). We have sent letters to the concerned department several times to repair the matter.”
Islanders and local activists have demanded that the water ambulance be urgently repaired and put under full operational management, as it is essential for people in coastal and remote areas. They have also called for ensuring long-term maintenance and adequate budget allocation.
