Move to shift a cath machine disappoints local residents

After years of wait, two modern cardiac catheterisation laboratories (cath labs) were installed at Manikganj Medical College Hospital, bringing hope for advanced cardiac care at the district level.

However, due to prolonged delays in launching the services, one of the machines is now being relocated, leaving local residents deeply disappointed.

Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a directive stating that Chattogram Medical College Hospital is struggling to handle the growing number of heart patients.

To improve services there, one of the cath labs from Manikganj hospital will be relocated.

The directive was issued on May 8 by Md Shahadat Hossain Kabir, deputy secretary of the Health Services Division.

According to hospital sources, the two cath machines were purchased for around Tk 190 million.

Installed on the second floor of the hospital during the fiscal years 2018-19 and 2020-21 by two separate contractors, they have remained unused due to a lack of skilled personnel. As a result, essential procedures, such as angiograms, have not yet begun.

This has forced heart patients from Manikganj to travel to Dhaka or other major cities for treatment-despite the availability of the required medical equipment locally.

Anwar Hossain, a resident of Sadar upazila, said, "My father is a heart patient. We have to go to Dhaka frequently, which is costly. If the service had been available at our local hospital, it would have been a big help. Now we hear that one machine is being taken away elsewhere-this is shocking."

Monirul Alam, from Khalilpur village in Harirampur's Chala Union, said, "The technology was left unused for years. And now it's being moved without being used ever! Doesn't that mean the lives of Manikganj people don't matter?"

A school teacher, Shoriful Islam, said, "When the government installs expensive technology, not using it is not just mismanagement-it is outright negligence. Even if public awareness is low, the administration must take responsibility."

Prof Md Kamrul Hasan, a member of the District Health Rights Forum, said, "Removing such life-saving technology from one district to another shows that saving lives here is not a priority. This is a health disaster."

Zahangir Alam Biswas, general secretary of the district unit of "Shushanar Jonno Nagorik" (SHUJAN), said, "Despite being so close to Dhaka, Manikganj residents are still deprived of modern cardiac care. The decision to transfer the cath lab is a serious injustice. We demand that the order be canceled and the service be launched here without delay."

Dr Md Shafiqul Islam, director of Manikganj Medical College Hospital, confirmed the transfer order and said, "One of the cath labs at our hospital has been ordered to be relocated to Chattogram Medical College Hospital."

He added, "Since my appointment, I have taken steps to launch the cath lab. We've already trained some staff. One cath lab will be operational very soon."

Still, the nearly 1.6 million people of Manikganj continue to hope that cardiac care won't remain a distant dream. They are urging the government to reconsider the relocation decision and to launch the service at their local hospital immediately.

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