Rangamati Sadar Hospital limps for shortage of doctors, drugs
Health services at Rangamati Sadar Hospital are being hampered due to shortage of medicines, doctors and staffs, much to the sufferings of the patients.
A number of patients and their relatives alleged that they had to buy most of the drugs prescribed by the physicians from local shops as those were not available at the hospital.
Doctors do not come timely and regularly to the hospital as most of them are engaged in private practice, they said.
During a recent visit, this correspondent found the atmosphere at the hospital very unhygienic with its wards and toilets dirty and stinky.
Lalit Chakma, 41, who was admitted to the hospital a few days ago, said “Most of the doctors here seem indifferent to the patients as they come only once a day and visit them for a while”.
Medicines prescribed by the doctors are often bought from shops outside the hospital, he alleged.
Shanti Priya Chakma and Pushpo Dhan Chakma, who were admitted with appendicitis, said the hospital did not supply them most drugs prescribed by doctors.
Another patient Korichoga Chakma, 60, made similar allegation against the hospital authorities.
According to officials, at least 134 types of medicines are supposed to be available for the patients at the hospital.
Civil surgeon office sources said 20 posts out of 33 are lying vacant for long at the hospital.
The vacant posts include that of residential medical officer, senior consultants for medicine and surgery, senior consultants for orthopaedic surgery, junior consultants for infant and eye diseases.
But at present there are only specialist physicians for ear, nose and throat (ENT), gynaecology and radiology, the sources said.
Dr Nikhil Barua, superintendent of the hospital, said senior positions of physicians have been lying vacant for over a decade while there is no residential medical officer at the hospital for about one year.
"A doctor is now working as residential medical officer," Nikhil said, adding “We are facing manifold problems for want of manpower."
We informed higher authorities about the matter, but to no effect as yet, he said.
Although Mustafizur Rahman, deputy civil surgeon (CS), admitted to shortage of manpower, he refuted the allegation of the scarcity of medicines at the hospital.
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