Patuakhali health care in awfully poor health
A large number of child patients with their mothers have to stay on the floor for treatment as Patuakhali General Hospital limps with various problems including accommodation crisis and shortage of doctors. Photo: STAR
Amid acute shortage of manpower and accommodation, hospitals and health complexes in Patuakhali district are struggling to provide medical service for about 17 lakh people in seven upazilas. A staggering 142 of the 183 posts of doctors are lying vacant in the district. During a visit to Patuakhali General Hospital on Wednesday, this correspondent saw over a hundred child patients lying on the floors of Child Ward, passages and corridors. Congested and dirty, the environment is far from being healthy, especially for child patients. On an average, around 150 patients stay at the Child Ward daily although there are only 48 beds. Twenty-eight child patients with diarrhoea got admission to this ward while only five patients were released on Wednesday. "On April 18, I came with my one and a half year old son Mahim as he is suffering from diarrhoea. Since then we are staying on the floor of an indoor passage. My son feels disturbed as patients' attendants always move there," said Mizanur Rahman of Kalapara. Arshed Ali of Kalikapur, who came to the child ward on April 17 with his diarrhoea-affected two-year-old son Nafiz, is also staying on the floor of the ward. Only two doctors are serving at the ward while posts of a few others including that of the senior surgeon is lying vacant. "We get exhausted to deliver service to so many patients here. More room is needed to accommodate patients in the ward and we earlier informed the civil surgeon of the matter," said ward in-charge Dr Mizanur Rahman. Dasmina upazila health complex is running with only two doctors as 13 of the 15 doctors' posts are vacant. In Mirzaganj upazila 23 of 27 doctors' posts, in Kalapara 28 of 31, in Galachipa 31 of 37, in Baufal 18 of 23, in Dumki 6 of 9 posts are lying vacant. In Patuakhali General Hospital 19 out of 33 posts including senior surgeons of child and ENT are vacant while all two posts at the TB clinic vacant. The vacant posts include that of medical officer at the civil surgeon's office and another post at District Reserve Store. All the posts of 66 assistant surgeons at union level are also vacant. Visiting Dashmina upazila health complex, this correspondent saw that many patients were returning home as they failed to meet doctors after waiting for long. "I brought my one and a half months old child Salman to the health complex as he has been suffering from fever for several days. I came here at about 9:30am today but I could not visit any doctor after four hours. Yesterday also, I collected ticket from the outdoor but returned home without any treatment. Only two doctors are working here for so many patients," Masuma, 35, of Bashbaria village said yesterday. Indoor treatment is also being badly hampered due to lack of doctors. "We have to serve both outdoor and indoor patients although only three doctors are working here against nine posts. Some 150 to 200 outpatients come for treatment daily. Sometimes patients and their attendants become annoyed as we cannot give proper attention to them," said the upazila health officer. When contacted, Patuakhali Civil Surgeon Dr Shah Alam Sharif said, "We sent several letters to the higher authorities concerned asking for steps to fill up the vacant posts but to no effect."
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