ICU Ambulance Repurposed for Referendum Campaign Sparking Outcry

A high-tech life-support ambulance, gifted by the Indian government to provide critical care for the residents of Natore, has sparked a public relations disaster after being repurposed as a mobile campaign vehicle. The vehicle, valued at approximately £300,000 (Tk 4.5 crore) and designed to transport patients in need of intensive care, was seen roaming city streets adorned with political stickers and blaring campaign slogans through a mounted sound system.

A Gift of Diplomacy Turned Political Tool

The ambulance was part of a trio of sophisticated Intensive Care Unit (ICU) vehicles gifted by the Government of India in early 2022 as a gesture of bilateral friendship. These vehicles were distributed to the Natore Municipality, Natore Modern Sadar Hospital, and the Singra Upazila Health Complex.

On 16 February 2022, the Assistant High Commissioner of India, Sanjeev Kumar Bhatti, officially handed over the keys to the Natore Municipality Mayor during a formal ceremony. The intention was to bridge the gap in emergency medical logistics for the region’s most vulnerable patients.

Profile of the Misused ICU Ambulance

Official Justification Amidst Backlash

The decision to transform a life-saving medical asset into a political billboard has met with fierce criticism from civil society and medical professionals. Local officials, however, offered a pragmatic—if controversial—defence of the move.

Zulfiqur Haider, a tax collector for Natore Municipality, explained that the ambulance had become a financial burden. “The vehicle generates no revenue; in fact, the municipality often has to spend its own funds just to keep it operational,” he stated. He noted that due to high fuel consumption and maintenance costs, few patients could afford the rental fees, leaving the sophisticated machine to gather dust in a garage for years.

According to Haider, a verbal directive was issued during a recent district administration meeting, encouraging various departments to campaign for the “Yes” vote. “We thought using the idle ambulance would be a way to keep it active and functional,” he admitted. The vehicle was subsequently outfitted with loudspeakers and dispatched into the city at midday.

Rapid Retraction

The sight of an ICU vehicle being used for non-medical propaganda quickly went viral on social media, prompting immediate condemnation. Critics pointed out the irony of using a vehicle designed to save lives for a political exercise, particularly when emergency medical services in rural areas remain underfunded.

Aminur Rahman, the Executive Officer of the municipality, attempted to distance the leadership from the scandal, claiming that the acting Municipal Administrator had not authorised the move. He declined to specify who exactly gave the order but confirmed that the “campaign ambulance” was operational for only two hours before the mounting backlash forced an embarrassing U-turn. The vehicle has since been stripped of its stickers and sound equipment and returned to storage.