- Target:
- Government
- Region:
- Bangladesh
Few days back, on my way home from an outing, our car got stuck in a traffic jam. A huge crowd was gathered to celebrate the arrival of our Prime Minister from abroad, and nearly every road was jammed or blocked for passing. It was then that I noticed an ambulance was stuck with us a few cars away. Despite the fact that ambulances should be given the first priority to pass the road, no one really seemed to care.
Coming home and searching online, nearly every country seems to face the same problem. An article stated that while waiting for the jam to clear, a patient succumbed to his injuries while waiting for over 15 minutes at the same spot. This type of cases are not rare as statistics show that around 45% of deaths can be prevented if ambulances manage to reach patients on time and get them medical attention.
The other day, one of my relatives was discussing that at another huge traffic, caused due to a VIP movement, an ambulance was stuck for half an hour. In case of emergencies, ambulances are required to increase the siren sound that alerts people the need is urgent. But in a busy road, it is not possible for people to create that amount of space for ambulances to reach hospitals on time or to respond to patient calls quickly. In case of an urgent medical need, even a moment's delay can mean the difference between life and death. The problem is, no one seems to understand how important it is that ambulances should be given the first priority on road, not unless someone they know or love is trapped in the life saving vehicle.
Can you imagine that you're stuck in an ambulance waiting for the never ending cars to move so that you can reach at the hospital to save the life of someone you love? The hospital is only few minutes away, but the traffic means that you are one step closer to lose the person. Unfortunately, this is a problem that is very relevant in our country. In some countries, there are seperate lanes in case of emergency purposes. In Bangladesh, there are no such lanes built for such purposes.
That is why we need to react. The solution to this problem is that people do not only need to be aware that ambulances should be given the top most priority (Government and traffic police should treat ambulances in the same way they manage VIP movement), but like some western countries, in case of severe emergencies, there should be separate roads. Just imagine that someone you love is stuck in an ambulance in pain, waiting for the traffic to clear. It's hard, right? Then just imagine how people who went through this must have felt.
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The Every life matters: a seperate road for ambulances in Bangladesh petition to Government was written by Tasfia Safiqa and is in the category Roads & Transport at GoPetition.