Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of the hospital Dr Taposh Mondal said the ambulance remained inoperative since November 10 after its driver Nasir Uddin was transferred to Baliakandi.

Besides, the ambulance developed a technical glitch as one of its bearings broke down, he said, citing the driver.

The RMO said the new driver replaced Nasir seven days later but he joined work on Thursday.

Dr Asif Mahmud, health and family welfare officer, said they have no budget to fix the problem of the ambulance. “It might take another week to fix the problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, patients who need to be shifted to other hospitals from the health complex for better treatment were suffering following the suspension of the ambulance service.

Many were seen using hired vehicles to shift patients to hospitals in Faridpur, Rajbari and Dhaka.

Private firm official Mosharraf Mridha, 28, of Nabuochhimoddinpara in the upazila was admitted to the health complex on November 14 with diarrhoea. As his condition deteriorated in the evening on the day, he was referred to Faridpur Medical College Hospital.

As the ambulance service remained suspended, his relatives got nervous about how to shift him. Although they managed a hired microbus, there was no oxygen facility in it which Mosharraf was badly in need of.

They asked for an oxygen cylinder from the hospital authorities but they refused which led to an altercation with its nurses.

However, they forcibly took an oxygen cylinder.

Mosharraf’s brother Shahin Mridha said, “My brother was about to die. The ambulance of the hospital is out of order. Where will the common people go if the lone ambulance of hospital remains out of service?”

He said the unexpected incident took place as the hospital authorities refused to give oxygen cylinder although they managed a microbus on their own.