Assam: Eleven ambulances meant to improve healthcare in rural Assam have been left unused for over a year at the Gauripur Community Health Centre in Dhubri. The vehicles, procured to serve six districts in the lower Assam region, are now gathering dust, depriving underserved areas of critical medical services.
Acquired under the National Health Mission (NHM) and the National Mobile Medical Unit (NMMU) initiative, the ambulances were linked to the Community Action Through Motivation Programme (CAMP), an NGO. They were procured in July 2023 through a tender awarded to CAMP and registered under Sairam Techno Management Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
However, operations stalled when the Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT) filed a Supreme Court case against CAMP, the State of Assam, and the NHM Mission Director. The legal dispute, registered as SLP(C) No. 014928/2023, has left the ambulances idle, despite their intended deployment in Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Goalpara, and South Salmara Mankachar districts.
Local residents and health advocates have expressed outrage over the mismanagement. “These ambulances were supposed to bring healthcare to underserved areas. Instead, they have become symbols of inefficiency,” a local resident commented. Public health experts criticized the procurement process, questioning why new ambulances were purchased without resolving operational and legal issues.
Activists are now demanding a thorough investigation into the misuse of resources and urging the government to resolve the legal impasse swiftly. They emphasized the urgent need to deploy the ambulances to bridge the healthcare gap in rural Assam.
Read More: Manipur Chief Minister Responds to Death of Woman at Mekola Relief Camp