The government of Bangladesh is planning to introduce locally-manufactured electric ambulances to strengthen emergency healthcare services and improve access to patient transport across the country including rural areas.

The plan was shared at a meeting on the development of electric ambulances using local technology, held at the Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday morning with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the chair, said his Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

He said the government was working to ensure ambulance services are available closer to people’s doorsteps.

He said the project will initially be launched in one upazila as a pilot programme.
“If the initiative proves successful, it will help meet the country’s growing demand for ambulances and reduce dependence on imports,” the deputy press secretary added.
The Prime Minister’s Press Wing said the government is considering a three-tier ambulance service system, reports UNB.

Under the plan, different types of ambulances would be developed for transporting patients from villages to upazilas, from upazilas to districts, and from districts to the capital.

Experts and officials told the meeting that the initiative could reduce reliance on imported ambulances and make modern ambulance services available at a lower cost.
They also noted that the project would help improve the country’s emergency patient transport system.
According to the Press Wing, experts informed the meeting that the locally produced ambulances would include essential medical equipment, oxygen support systems and other emergency healthcare facilities.