Medicare service at Zakiganj Health Complex runs with shortage of doctors, amenities

SYLHET, Sept 28: Medicare service at the Zakiganj Upazila Health Complex is being hampered due to shortage of medical officers and other staff alongside necessary amenities for long. This is why the inhabitants of the frontier upazila have to move to the Sylhet district town for medical treatment.

The 31-bed health complex, built in 1986 at 91 km off the district town couldn't be upgraded into a 50-beded as yet, although there had been political assurance at times. The locals expected things to be improved during the last decades, after it was declared repeatedly, but lack of political strength and administrative neglect, the programme got stumbled and no change is there as yet.

On the other hand, private health service at the remote upazila is also very poor.

As the authority cancelled the contractor after their poor works on a new building for 19 beds 3 years ago, things remained hanging as yet. The contractor left the site without handing over the building.

The authority has to accommodate at least 45 to 50 admitted patients on average against the capacity of 31 beds. Besides, everyday about 200 patients take outdoor service.

It suffers water supply and drainage facility due to absence of proper system while the electric motor had long been lying out of order.

Only five medical officers are at work against nine sanctioned posts while three posts of nurses out of 13 had been lying vacant for 10 years. Three posts of sweepers out of five also remained vacant.

A number of locals have alleged there had been no move to appoint required staff for this remote and backward upazila hospital, causing much for the common men.

Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Abdullah Al Mehdi said, “As the centre is a faraway from the district town, we have to face pressure. Manpower shortage and lack of required beds had made the problems acute.”

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