Tarail Govt Hospital: Doctors, nurse shortages create suffering

Sr Staff Reporter, Kishoreganj :

There is a complete absence of proper medical facilities and services at the Tarail 50-bed Upazila Health Complex in Kishoreganj.There are no necessary doctors, nurses and cleaners.

There are no essential medical equipment and medicines. There is no modern building, no desired medical services. Patients have also turned their backs on this health complex, which is beset by various crises.

Although the government ‘s two major hospitals in the district headquarters have more patients than beds, the number of patients admitted here is less than half of the hospital beds.

Recently, when we visited the health complex, we saw that there were 16 beds in the male ward. The number of admitted patients was 8. There were 15 beds in the female ward, and there were 8 patients.

There are 12 beds in the children’s ward, and only three children are admitted. However, there are supposed to be a lot more pediatric patients with cold-related diseases now. Talking to the relatives of the patients, it is known that patients do not want to be admitted here because they do not get medical care.

Except for the very poor patients, other patients go to Sadar 250 -beded general hospital or Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam Medical College Hospital (SSNIMCH) for medical care.

Main Uddin, a village police officer from Damiha area of Tarail upazila, is admitted to the male ward. He said that he has been admitted with liver problems.

Arrangements are being made to send him to the district headquarters as there is no good treatment facility here. Ataur Rahman , a diabetic patient from Darijahangirpur area of Tarail who comes for outdoor treatment, said that he has to come here often. Due to the shortage of doctors, he has to wait for a long time and does not receive satisfactory medical services.

Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer (UHFPO) of Tarail dr. Atish Das Rajib said that according to the manpower structure, there are 27 doctor posts here, including him. Currently, there are only four. There are 28 nurse posts, of which 18 are there. There were three cleaners. Out of these, two are on deputation at Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam Medical College Hospital (SSNIMCH). As a result, it is not possible to keep the hospital clean with just one cleaner. Patients have to suffer greatly.

He said that patients from not only Tarail Upazila, but also from neighboring Karimganj Upazila’s Niamatpur Union, Itna Upazila’s Chowganga and Badla Unions, Netrokona’s Madan and Kendua Upazilas, and Mymensingh’s Nandail Upazila also come to this hospital for treatment.

There are an average of 500 to 600 patients in the outpatient department every day. However, everything is allocated based on the calculation of a 50-bed hospital. As a result, it is struggling to provide medical services with limited manpower and healthcare equipment.

UHFPO Atish Das Rajib said, the buildings and quarters of this hospital were built in 1984-85. Children’s ward, women’s ward, doctors’ quarters, other staff quarters, all the buildings are dilapidated. Pillars, beams and roofs have cracked in many places, the lining is falling off. Rods have come out in many places.

A terrible accident can happen at any time. Apart from this, there is only one security guard in the hospital. There are frequent thefts. The number of drug addicts in the vicinity has increased. Due to this, the security crisis has also become evident.

In response to a question, he said, “The hospital’s X-ray machine has been broken for about seven years. There is also no radiographer. Letters have been sent to the Health Department on various occasions regarding these issues. Apart from this, there is no gynecologist or gynecologist here. As a result, if a pregnant woman wants to have a cesarean section, she has to go to the district headquarters.”

When contact to Civil Surgeon (CS) of Kishoreganj, dr.Ovijeet Sharma told the New Nation that, there is a shortage of doctors across the country. The number of doctors is reported every month when sending a report to the Directorate General of Health Services . However, the BCS exam was held a few days ago. New doctors may be available. And a demand has also been made for a new building. He is hopeful that action will be taken in this regard soon.

Department of Health Engineering (DHE ) of Kishoreganj, Executive Engineer Md. Enamul Kabir said that he has been here for two months. However, during his inspection, he saw the overall fragile condition of the health complex. He said that he learned that a project proposal has been sent to the Health Department in the first half of 2024 for overall development, including the construction of a new building. No development project is being taken from the ministry at present.