Health services in Barisal division in dire straits
60 pc posts of doctors vacant for long
Public health services in Barisal division are limping as about 60 percent posts of doctors are lying vacant since long.
Divisional health directorate office sources said at least 526 posts of physicians out of 889 are lying vacant in six districts of the division.
Only 374 doctors are serving for about 97 lakh population of the division with a ratio of one doctor for average 27 thousand people.
People of remote coastal areas of Patuakhali, Bhola and Barguna districts are the worst sufferers.
Barisal divisional health director Dr Khairul Anam said there are 889 sanctioned posts of doctors for 32 health complexes, 70 health centres, one 30-bed and four 10-bed and 20-bed specialised health complexes and 5 Sadar hospitals in 40 upazilas in six districts of the division.
However, 115 posts of doctors out of 176 in Patuakhali, 104 out of
152 posts in Bhola, 95 out of 134 posts in Barguna, 88 out of 195 posts in Barisal Sadar, 75 out of 137 posts in Pirojpur, 49 out of 95 posts in Jhalakati remained vacant.
The divisional health director further said that the government has taken up a plan to develop public health services in Barisal division by filling up the vacant posts of physicians immediately.
He also said that the government under a scheme will create sufficient posts of medical assistants and assistant surgeons increasing 30-bed health complexes to 50-bed full fledged hospitals in near future.
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