They make father's dream come true

Amrah Community Hospital at Barkal in Chandanaish upazila, left, and children are at school run by Amrah. PHOTO: Zobaer Hossain Sikder

His son Dr Mohsin Zillur Karim and daughter Dr Tahmina Banu, two reputed physicians in Chittagong, have made his dream come true with the financial assistance from Terre des Hommes of the Netherlands.

Dr Mohsin is a reputed cardiologist and Dr Tahmina a paediatrician.

And the 'Dr Matin Amrah Community Hospital', 40km away from the city, is now popular among those who can hardly afford extra penny for treatment. Dr Matin died three years ago.

"I am impressed with the facilities of this hospital," Ishratul Jannat, wife of a madrassa teacher, said. She underwent a successful caesarean operation there only two days ago.

"Actually, my mother who underwent a complicated hysterectomy operation here few months back inspired me to come here," she said. "I would say that everything in this hospital is amazing and of high standard," she added.

Ishratul, lying beside her newborn on the bed at the post-operative room, was talking to this correspondent on April 22.

The hospital started its journey with 15 beds exclusively for mother and children in January last year. It is now a 25-bed fully fledged hospital with pathological, X-ray, gynaecological, paediatrics and other facilities.

"It's a specialised, low-cost, non-profitable and community-based hospital. Our basic aim is not to make profit but to render better services to the poor people in this far-flung areas," Project Director Dr Tasnim Karim, daughter-in-law of late Dr Matin, told The Daily Star.

Dr Tasnim said, "The charges here for pathological, X-ray and other purposes are 50 per cent lower than that of various diagnosis centres in the city or elsewhere and we have to give subsidy for this purpose."

She said three skilled doctors, three qualified nurses and five to six junior nurses are working for 24 hours. At least 18 patients come to the outdoor while15 to the indoor in the hospital daily.

The hospital was built on one acre of land donated by my father Dr Matin from his ancestral property, said Dr Tahmina adding that we have plans to extend the facilities and increase the number of beds in future.

Amrah authorities said that they had to overcome some social taboo to make people aware of the need of getting some critical and specialised operations in the hospital.

"The inflows of labour patients during initial stage were very low because of that taboo. But things have been changed quickly. With the successful handling of few gynae cases, people became gradually confident on the ability of the hospital and we have performed some complicated operations with the assistance from specialist physicians of different disciplines," said Dr Tahmina and Dr Tasnim.

The hospital authorities launched Family Healthcare Card recently. This will enable the cardholders to have easy access to the facilities of different disciplines at a minimum cost," said the Project Director.

The people of five upazilas-- Chandanaish, Lohagara, Satkania, Patiya and Anwara -- now frequent the hospital.

The authorities alongside the hospital also run a primary school. The school has generated enthusiasm among the local people and they come to us regularly to get their daughters educated," the authorities said.