Biman Dutta, a resident of Faridpur town, was at a loss when he needed to shift his father-in-law from Faridpur General Hospital to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College and Hospital (BSMMCH) in the district due to critical condition. As there was no ambulance service at the hospital for over 45 days due to “fuel crisis”, he had to hire a private ambulance that cost him twice as much. Many patients from Faridpur town and adjacent upazilas are facing the same problem due to ambulance shortage as critical patients need to be transferred to BSMMCH and Dhaka for advanced treatment. Read more: Inmates at overcrowded Faridpur jail suffer in absence of medical facilities The hospital authorities are saying this problem has been caused by lack of fuel being allocated. They said they have sent numerous letters to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Ministry of Health seeking funds but are yet to get any response. “Lack of fuel allocation is to blame for patients’ suffering. We owe the local petrol station around TK 3.5 lakh for fuel. We had to halt our ambulance service from November 1, 2022,” said Ganesh Kumar Agarwala, resident medical officer of the hospital.

Health Secretary Md Lokman Hossain Miah on Friday visited Faridpur General Hospital to see the services provided to the patients. During the visit he told doctors, nurses and other staff to deliver their services effectively so no patient goes without treatment. Patients should not suffer due to damaged equipment and lack of supplies, he said. Read: Current booster effective against Omicron: Health Minister Regarding the Covid vaccine, he said there is no shortage of vaccines. “But we are concerned that many people have not been vaccinated yet.” Deputy Commissioner of Faridpur Atul Sarkar, Civil Surgeon Dr Siddiqur Rahman, Director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College and Hospital Dr Saifur Rahman and Additional Deputy Commissioner Deepak Roy were present among others.

A sexagenarian man has been killed in a clash between two groups of villagers over a cricket match at Dadpur in Boalmari upazila.