Medicare absent at Zakiganj Upazila Health Complex for doctor shortage

SYLHET, Feb 24: As many as 64 posts of staff members including consultant physicians at Zakiganj Upazila Health Complex in Sylhet have long been vacant.

Poor people in nearby villages are the worst victims of the situation.

Sources said some important posts even have been lying vacant for 10 years.

Located on the Sylhet-Assam frontier, remote Zakiganj upazila stands 91 km off Sylhet district town having a troublesome communication due to the poor state of the road.

The inhabitants of the different areas as well as some people from the neighbouring Kanaighat upazila also depend on this hospital.

Due to the acute shortage of staff, the lone government hospital cannot deliver minimum services to the patients.

Out of 17 only four physicians are at work at the 50-bed hospital while four have been on deputation at other places for years.

An official at the hospital said they informed the higher authorities of the situation. They assured of appointment of physicians and other staff soon.

Zakiganj upazila council chairman Iqbal Ahmed said inhabitants of the upazila are mainly dependent on the health complex for their treatments. They cannot move to the district town easily due to the distant location and for financial reasons.

"Besides, we failed to get any remedy even after repeated reminder about the deputation of the gynaecologist from Zakiganj", he added.

He alleged most of the physicians do not intend to stay in such a remote area and the authority concerned doest even play any vital role in this connection.

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