Tale of ailing Khagrachhari hospitals

A patient lying on the floor at Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital for lack of beds

The state of hospitals tells the story of utter neglect on the part of the health department. Shortage of doctors, technological facilities and medicines seem to have acquired chronic dimensions.

There are one zila sadar hospital, seven upazila health complexes, 11 union sub-centres (USC) and one 10-bed rural health centre (RHC) in the district and all are in deplorable state for years, thanks to the indifference and negligence of the health department.

There are 47 doctors against 106 approved posts in Khagrachhari, sources at Civil Surgeon's Office said. Besides, 59 posts are vacant at different centres, including a deputy civil surgeon, two senior consultants of medicine and surgery department, five junior consultants on anaesthesia, cardiology, gynaecology, pathology and radiology and two upazila health and family planning officers.

The health complexes have been running without any ambulances as the vehicles, provided by the local lawmaker, have become unfit within one year due to lack of proper care and maintenance, sources said. The government provided five ambulances for upazila health complexes during the financial year of 2004-2005.

The government also gave six X-ray machines to upazila health complexes, except Dighinala, during the period but machines could not be found in operation even for a single day for lack of technicians and experts, sources said.

Civil Surgeon Dr Mohammad Abu Taher said, "We can't provide proper healthcare services to the patients here for shortage of doctors."

"We have sent letters on several occasions to the authorities concerned, including the health ministry, for sufficient doctors and filling the other vacant posts without any positive response as yet," he said.

Dr Taher said, "We hope we will get fund for repairing the ambulances soon." The patients are suffering a lot due to lack of ambulance, he added.

He said ambulances become unfit due to technical reasons not for negligence in maintenance.

Rokeya Begum 45, from Shalbagan at the Khagrachhari Sadar upazila health complex said she has been waiting for four hours with a slip to meet a lady doctor but her turn is yet to come. Rokeya said she could not meet her as one doctor is to attend many patients at a time.

Hasmat Ali, 23, from Buachhari, said he has been waiting for hours to meet a doctor but doesn't know when his turn will come.