One-Stop Crisis Centre yet to start functioning at CMCH

The OCC aims at providing essential medical services and legal supports to the oppressed women of the society as well as their rehabilitation.

Such centre started functioning on experimental basis in Dhaka and Rajshahi medical college hospitals in August 2001 and June 2002.

But OCC is yet to start its operation at Chittagong Medical College Hospital due to lack of apparatus in the DNA laboratory, sources said.

The recruitment of doctors in the OCC on deputation is under process while five nurses and a computer operator have been appointed there.

The staffs appointed in February along with three police personnel to keep record of the allegation of the oppressed women at OCC are now passing idle time.

The OCC is a part of the multi-sectoral programme of the government on violence against women and children.

The Ministry of Woman and Children Affairs is implementing the programme in collaboration with five other ministries, including Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

The programme implementation unit at the directorate of Women and Children Affairs established in Dhaka in 2000 is mainly responsible for the day-to-day management and running activities under the programme at OCC.

Danida, a Danish donor agency, is funding the programme in support of the government.

Under the programme, six One Stop Crisis Centres will be set up in the medical college hospitals in six divisional towns to provide emergency care, treatment, legal support, forensic investigation, counselling and shelter service for the oppressed women.

The OCC function at three other medical college hospitals in Barishal, Sylhet and Khulna is under process.

The process of setting up OCC on the first floor of CMCH has been completed in January this year.

The eight-bed centre has a DNA test laboratory, computer section, doctors and nurses' room, a room for police members and a spacious visitors' room.

Sources said the centre was scheduled to open on April 29 by Health Minister Dr Khondoker Mosharraf Hossain when he inaugurated ten new units and installations at CMCH at a cost of Tk 32 crore.

But, the OCC could not be inaugurated, as the process of recruiting doctors and installation of equipments was not completed.

Many of the authorities involved with the implementation of the programme have even no preliminary knowledge about the OCC activities in Chittagong, sources said.

When contacted Niva Hoque, an officer at the department of Women and Children Affairs in Chittagong, expressed her ignorance about such programme and installation of a centre at CMCH.

Later, she said CMCH authorities will maintain everything about the project.

Paruma Begum, an officer of Social Welfare department at CMCH, said she doesn't know anything about the programme.

CMCH Director Brigadier General Abedur Rahman, however, said the recruitment of doctors on deputation is under process.

Brigadier Rahman visited Malaysia in April to see the OCC activities there

He said, "It is a lengthy process to create posts for doctors or recruitment on deputation."