SHARIATPUR — Patients and their relatives in Shariatpur remain hostage to an ambulance racket. A newborn died last August after an ambulance was held up. The incident drew widespread criticism. Cases were later filed against several members of the racket, but the practice of holding patients hostage has not stopped.
Five months after the newborn’s death, a patient being transferred from Sadar Hospital to Dhaka on Tuesday was held up twice for a total of 90 minutes, the family alleged. The patient died in the ambulance before reaching the hospital in Dhaka, the family said.
A case was filed last Aug. 14 over the newborn’s death against Abu Taher, driver for the district civil surgeon, and Abdul Hai, a former driver of the Shariatpur health department. They are alleged to lead the ambulance racket. The latest incident of an ambulance being held up was led by Sumon Khan, a member of the same racket who is among those charged in the newborn-death case.
Active ambulance racket
Shariatpur has five 50-bed upazila health complexes, one 20-bed thana health center and one 100-bed district sadar hospital. According to the district health administration, 80 to 100 patients are transferred from the district’s hospitals to Dhaka each day for advanced treatment. The district has only seven government ambulances.
Officials said no more than 50 to 60 patients per month are taken outside the district by government ambulance. Other patients have to rely on private ambulances.
According to patients’ relatives, drivers and officials in the health department, a private ambulance racket transports patients from various areas and hospitals in the district to Dhaka and other locations. The racket has 27 ambulances. It is controlled by Abdul Hai Mollah, a former driver of the Shariatpur health department, and Abu Taher Dewan, the civil surgeon’s driver. Abu Taher’s son, Rahim Dewan, works on his father’s behalf. All three are charged in the newborn-death case.
The fare for a government ambulance is 4,000 taka, while the racket charges 7,000 to 8,000 taka.
A government ambulance driver who spoke on condition of anonymity told Prothom Alo that control of the private ambulance racket was previously in the hands of a health department employee and a cousin of a former member of parliament from the Awami League government. After 2025, control passed to several current and former drivers in the health department.
The driver added that the racket controls ambulance fares under the name of the Shariatpur Ambulance Owners and Drivers Welfare Association. The racket decides which vehicle picks up a patient at what time and how much the fare will be. Any deviation creates trouble, he said.
Five named in charge sheet
Civil surgeon’s driver Taher owns an ambulance, which his son Rahim drives.
The newborn’s father, Nur Hossain Sardar, filed the case naming Taher, Rahim and two others. The other two accused are Abdul Hai, a former driver of the health department, and ambulance driver Billal Munshi. Police filed the charge sheet in court Dec. 31 after completing the investigation. In addition to the original four accused, racket member Sumon Khan was added to the charge sheet.
Nur Hossain Sardar lives in Dhaka. “I do small jobs. I do not have the means to pursue the case financially. If the government takes up the case, perhaps the offenders will be punished. I want those responsible for my child’s death to be punished,” he said.
The civil surgeon formed an inquiry committee over the newborn’s death. The committee submitted its report. However, the committee found no involvement by any health department employee.
Abu Taher, the civil surgeon’s driver, said: “We are out on bail in the case filed last year. I told the health department’s inquiry committee that I had no involvement in the incident.” He denied involvement with any ambulance racket.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report