Three Upazila health complexes beset with manifold problems

Patients are not getting proper treatment in three upazila health complexes in three districts, including Narail, Sylhet and Habiganj, as the healthcare facilities are beset with manifold problems.

A correspondent from Narail reports, although upgraded into a 50-bed hospital from a 31-bed one eight years ago, Lohagora Upazila Health Complex in Narail district is still operating amid an acute shortage of doctors and other staff.

It is still running with the manpower of a 31-bed facility. Patients are being deprived of treatment facilities of a government hospital for a long time.

According to hospital sources, valuable equipment has been lying inoperative for want of medical technologists for the past eight years.

Besides, the post of radiographer has remained vacant for ten years.

Consequently, the lone X-ray machine and digital lab have become inoperative due to the lack of technicians and necessary X-ray plates.

The pathological lab has remained locked and unused for six years due to the absence of a medical technologist.

Patients have to depend on private diagnostic centres to receive services such as urine tests, blood tests, blood grouping, X-rays and other tests at higher prices.

There are eight doctors against 10 posts as of the previous 31-bed facility.

The posts of medical officer, surgeon, gynaecologist, ophthalmologist, anesthesiologist and dentist have remained vacant for two years.

Only one cleaner has been doing the cleaning work for the past several years although there are five posts sanctioned for cleaners. The lone ambulance lies unused in the garage for the maximum time for want of fuel oil.

Due to the prevailing situation, patients are compelled to seek ambulance services from outside at higher charges. Spending more, they have to travel to the district Sadar Hospital or any other medical college hospitals in Dhaka, Khulna or Jashore.

Lohagora Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr SM Mashud said, "The issue of doctors and other staff shortage has been brought to the notice of the higher authorities."

He added that initiative would be taken to appoint necessary doctors and other staff including technicians and pathologists.

The hospital was upgraded into a 50-bed facility on October 5, 2015.

Our correspondent from Sylhet adds, the 31-bed Jaintapur Upazila Health Complex in Habiganj was upgraded into a 50-bed hospital in 2012, but the sanctioned manpower is yet to be arranged.

Medicare services have also been in trouble in the upazila health complex due to a shortage of physicians and other support staff due to the absence of required equipment in the region for a long.

Official sources informed that 10 out of 16 sanctioned posts of junior consultants of anaesthesia, medicine, and medical officer and dental surgeon have been lying vacant for a long.

Besides, six posts of senior staff nurses have been lying vacant while seven posts of medical technicians (dental), assistant nurse, storekeeper, office assistant, junior mechanic and driver are yet to be filled at the important health facility, run by the government.

Moreover, as many as 24 posts of class IV employees including office assistants, ward boys, security guards, cooks, gardeners and cleaners have been lying vacant hampering services, sources alleged.

The higher authorities have already been informed of the situation and suffering of the service seekers and informed an official while a demand has been placed for an urgent solution.

Immediate measures should be taken to ensure health services for the inhabitants of poverty-stricken areas.

Upazila Health & Family Planning Officer Md Salah Uddin said, "The higher authorities have already been informed of the situation and suffering of the service seekers. The requirement has been placed for an urgent solution."

He claimed, "Amid a shortage of sanctioned staff, we are trying our best to serve the people. Immediate measures should be taken to ensure the health services for the inhabitants of poverty-stricken areas."

Our Sylhet correspondent says: Inhabitants of the remote Ajmiriganj upazila of Habiganj district have been suffering a lot due to the absence of some basic facilities at the 50-bed upazila health complex there for a long.

Although the government-run facility was upgraded to a 50-bed one years ago, the authorities did not even bother taking steps to raise minimum facilities for the rural people there.

Even the Gynecology Department there is being run without an expert physician and caesarean section service has been suspended for the last six years.

The serious patients especially the pregnant women suffer extremely. The hospital cannot provide any treatment except for dealing with a few normal delivery cases nowadays, alleged several locals.

The critical patients have to travel 40 kilometres to reach the district town or to the private hospitals there.

The haor upazila people suffer communication problems, especially during the monsoon.

Due to the absence of physicians and technicians in the department, valuable equipment is getting damaged as those have been unused for a long.

A junior consultant joined the hospital's Gynecology Department in 2015 when the patients started getting some treatment, but it stopped as he left in 2018 and there has come no replacement as yet.

An official said the last caesarean section was done in 2017 and only due to the absence of physicians the service has remained suspended.

A number of locals alleged that often serious patients are referred to the district hospitals from the upazila health complex.

Admitting the shortage of gynae physicians, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Iqbal Hossain Khan said, "There is a shortage of required equipment too."

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