POLICE have arrested five ambulance drivers on suspicions of using medical emergency vehicles to transport passengers from Dar es Salaam to Mutukula in Kagera Region.

SACP Alex Mkama, the regional police commander, told journalists here yesterday that the suspects were arrested during an intensive road safety operation launched on Monday, as such action is a misuse of public health resources putting lives at risk.

He said this inspection was meant to protect road users and reduce accidents during the busy festive season, where the drivers were found carrying ordinary passengers in ambulances, a clear violation of traffic regulations laws and public health rules.

Ambulances are strictly intended for emergency medical transport and must never be used as commercial passenger vehicles, he stressed, listing those arrested as including George Mung’ongo (29), a resident of Arusha, who was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser ambulance (T 933 EPL) carrying eight passengers.

Paul Zacharia (37) was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser (T 927 EPL) with nine passengers, while Victor Baroho (30) was driving a Land Cruiser ambulance (T 943 EPL) with nine passengers, he said. Godliving Sawe (37) was transporting 12 passengers in a Toyota Hiace ambulance (UA 055 BP), while John Masae (26) was found with five passengers in a Land Cruiser ambulance (T 988 EPL).

All except Mung’ongo are residents of Dar es Salaam, he said, insisting that the drivers had been converting ambulances into long-distance passenger vehicles for profit.The arrests sparked strong reactions from the public, with Shamim Abdalah, a Morogoro resident, expressing disappointment as such use of ambulances was unethical and dangerous.

“The misuse of ambulances can prevent patients from receiving timely medical care. A mother in need of an emergency referral could lose her life simply because an ambulance is being used as a minibus,” she said.

She commended the government and police for swift action, urging law enforcers to impose firm legal penalties to deter similar misconduct, while the RPC affirmed that the safety operation will be maintained during the festive period,

Officers will be deployed along major highways to ensure compliance with traffic and public safety regulations, he said, cautioning that any misuse of emergency service vehicles will attract stern consequences. Members of the public need to report any suspicious use of ambulances as community cooperation is vital to ensuring emergency vehicles remain available for genuine medical needs, he added.