Community clinics limping for shortage of docs, drugs

Patients in remote areas are deprived of medicare facilities as almost all of the 51 community clinics under Gaibandha Sadar upazila cannot provide adequate services for want of physicians, other manpower and life saving drugs.

In a recent visit to Hashem Bazar community clinic in Kholahati union in the upazila, this correspondent found that there was no patient in the clinic. Only a health care provider was present, but there were no other staff members available to look after the clinic.

Locals complained that a family welfare assistant and a health assistant rarely attend the clinic. Moreover, the clinic cannot supply life saving drugs in time to the poor and destitute patients. Solvent people take patients to Gaibandha Sadar Hospital, they added.

There is no night guard or sweeper, and the compound is filled with garbage and waste. There is no seating arrangement for patients and no power supply to the clinic. The two toilets are unusable and a hand operated tube-well does not function properly.

Moinul Islam, a community healthcare provider, said the employees are reluctant to attend work as they are getting poor salaries.

Earlier, the authorities used to supply two cartons of life saving drugs every month, but now the drug supply has almost stopped. We sometimes receive medicines after four months, he added.

Patients said they are given the prescription and have to procure the medicine from outside.

The services of health complex employees are assessed under different projects, and they are yet to be included within the revenue budget after serving for over five years, said Moinul Islam.

Refuting the allegations, Dr Nirmolendu Chowdhury, civil surgeon in Gaibandha, said the community clinics in remote areas are serving the poor people, and they will be equipped with modern technology in the near future.