The sophisticated ICU cardiac ambulance purchased at Tk 15-million for transporting critical patients to and from RMCH starts its maiden journey after two-year of slumbering inside the garage.
For the first time, the ambulance starts with a patient for National Heart Diseases Institute in Dhaka on Thursday noon.
The ICU ambulance is equipped with the functions of 40 types of medicare facilities including the life support system.
It is learnt, on May 6, 2019 MessersFerritech Private Limited imported and supplied five cardiac ambulances to the Ministry of Health. One of those ambulances were supplied to RMCH. But, in absence of expert physicians and nurses for operating the equipment of the ambulance and having no clear policy of using it, the authorities of RMCH kept the ambulance confined inside the garage for last two-year.
After the publication of a news about the inactivity of the ambulance in some newspapers recently, the Ministry of Health directs the authorities of RMCH to start operating the ambulance. As per direction, a cardiac patient named Lutfar Rahman, Sub-Inspector of Special Branch of Naogoan district Police was carried through the ambulance for Dhaka on Thursday morning.
Director of RMCH Brig Gen ShamimYazdani informed the prized ICU ambulance could not be put to operation due to not having any clear policy from the concerned ministry regarding the honorarium of an on duty brother or a nurse and the salary of the driver of the ambulance.
It is learnt, the ambulance costs Tk. 15,044,855. One of the drivers of RMCH regularly starts the ambulance and operate other equipment for the last two-year to keep it operational.
Fazley Hossain Badsha, Member of Parliament of Rajshahisadar informed that on his request, the Health Minister supplied the sophisticated ambulance in RMCH. He further said, he has no idea that the ambulance is kept idle inside the garage of the hospital. However, he was happy that the ambulance starts its maiden journey at last.
According to sources, the sophisticated, air conditioned ambulance is equipped with modern ICU facilities including AC, Pulse Oximeter, ECG machine, Syringe pumps, ventilator machine, sucker machine, monitor, Oxygen supply system and various lifesaving instruments which are not even available in the ICU of any modern hospital of the country.
