Started with one vehicle in 1989, now 15 ambulances; still no bank loans

A 2019 report looked at Dhaka's private ambulance sector. The owner of Alif Ambulance Service said he started in 1989 with a single vehicle, aiming to meet the huge demand for ambulances in the capital. Before that he had been a partner in an ambulance company called Day & Night, which failed commercially. At the time of the report his fleet had 15 vehicles, including one ICU ambulance for critically ill patients. According to the report, Dhaka has about 512 ambulance providers; within the city a non-AC ambulance costs Tk 1,000-3,000 on average, an AC one Tk 1,500-4,000, and an ICU ambulance Tk 5,000-8,000. An ambulance costs Tk 15-18 lakh on average; total investment in the sector is about Tk 160 crore and yearly turnover about Tk 700 crore. But the president of the ambulance owners' association said the private ambulance business is still not recognised as a business because there are no definite rules; the government earns about Tk 20 crore a year from the sector but there is no monitoring, and owners cannot get bank loans. Getting a trade licence directly is also complicated. With no government policy on fares, some operators overcharge helpless patients, which he said tarnishes the sector's image.