Morelganj (Bagerhat) Correspondent :
An acute doctor and infrastructure crisis in Morelganj Upazila Health Complex in Bagerhat has reached its peak. As a result, medical services are almost at a standstill.
Despite the increasing pressure of patients every day, the common people are being deprived of the desired services due to the lack of adequate doctors and infrastructure.
This is causing endless suffering, unwanted death and despair of helpless and poor patients.
Although this health complex was established in 1962, it was upgraded from 31 beds to 50 beds in 2022, now it is being crowded with administrative wards, outdoor, indoor, children, men and women’s wards in the building.
The construction of a new building by demolishing the old 31-bed building has been stopped midway due to lack of funds.
As a result, it has become more difficult to get advanced and fast medical care. According to hospital sources, 33 out of 42 doctor posts are vacant. Although there are 9 doctors on paper, two have been attached to other hospitals, a dental surgeon and a Unani doctor.
In practice, more than 4 lakh people are being treated with just 5 doctors. Out of the 275 approved posts, 133 posts are currently vacant.
Doctors and nurses at the hospital said that the authorities are struggling to handle more than 400 outpatients and an average of 70-80 admitted patients every day with limited manpower. Not a single one of the 11 specialist doctor posts has been filled.
There are only 3 officers against 14 medical officer posts. Local patients complain that they cannot get a doctor even after waiting in line for a long time in the morning.
Many times, they have to face difficulties in getting treatment as test reports come late.
They are forced to run to private clinics and big hospitals in the city. Since there has been no pathologist in the health complex for years, they have to pay more for tests from outside.
The hospital’s resident medical officer Dr. Nadiruzzaman Akash said,
“We have to handle the outpatient department and emergency department along with the admitted patients with insufficient doctors.
As the winter increases, the pressure of cold-related patients also increases. We are struggling due to the crisis.”
Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Mujahidul Islam said that a request for doctors has been sent to the Health Department three times in the last two months. However, the necessary postings have not been made yet.
In this regard, Civil Surgeon Dr. A.S.M. Mahbubul Alam said, “We are regularly contacting higher authorities to resolve the doctor crisis. This problem cannot be completely resolved until new doctors are appointed and infrastructure is developed.”
Despite having a 50-bed Upazila Health Complex, Morelganj is currently providing medical services with a 19-bed building and a handful of doctors. Hundreds of patients are suffering every day.
Locals fear that the healthcare system in the region will collapse further if the appointment of doctors and construction of the building are not completed quickly.
