Shortage of doctors, other staff impedes treatment at Pabna General Hospital

PABNA, Nov 23: Thousands of patients coming from different upazilas of the district and nearby Bogura, Sirajganj, Natore districts are being deprived of desired service from 250-bed Pabna General Hospital cum Pabna Medical College Hospital for a long time due to shortage of physicians and staffs.

A total 17 posts of MBBS doctors have been lying vacant out of 58 sanctioned posts, causing untold suffering for the extreme poor patients who are unable to go to private clinics for taking treatment.

The 05 posts of Senior Consultants and 04 Junior Consultants ,Resident Physicians, Resident Medical Officers, Pathologists, Medical Officers, Anesthetists, Medical Officers (Children), Medical Officers (Admission Posts) and Dental Surgeons remain vacant.

Besides, there are 23 vacancies in the second, third and fourth class employees. There are 05 vacancies in the second class, 02 vacancies in the third class and 16 vacancies in the fourth class emploees.Apart from 04 staff nurses, statisticians, MLSS and sweepers' posts are also vacant resulting in disruption in official work.

Especially in such a big hospital dermatologist and venereal disease doctor are not been there for a long time. Patients are being treated by the doctors of the General Hospital in collaboration with the doctors of Pabna Medical College.

However, the arrival of doctors from Pabna Medical College, which is about 6 km away, to Pabna General Hospital is also costly. Again, as there is no hospital in the medical college, the students have to come to the general hospital from there regularly. The matter was informed in written to higher authorities to fill various vacancies, including hospital doctors.

Sometimes, the patients are to waste valuavble time in a queue in front of the medical college to meet their expected physicians, said patients Nazmul Huda of Chatmohor upazila.

The physicians are exhausted to treat a large number of patients every day but they try to ensure satisfactory service and advice to the patients cordially. According to hospital sources, the government has set up a total 328 sanctioned posts of staffs including physicians in the hospital to render smooth Medicare service among the patients. But, shortage of physicians, staff nurse, assistant doctor, second, third and fourth class employee is disrupting the desired service at all, they added.

The posts of Resident Surgeon, Radiologist, Medical Officer (Dermatology), Emergency Medical Officer, Assistant Registrar (Surgery and Medicine), Assistant Registrar (Ophthalmology and Cardio), Medical Officer (Unani) have been vacant for a long time.

A college teacher Abdur Rashid of the district said, "The people are being deprived of the desired quality of services due to the shortage of required number of doctors in the 250-bed General Hospital at Pabna Medical College Hospital."

The hospital has been upgraded to 250 bed one but due to lack of manpower shortage, patients are not getting the desired service, said an attendant of a patient Tapon Kumar. He also said patients have to run back and forth for better treatment.

Assistant Director (AD) of Pabna General Hospital Md Ayub Hossain said, "There are some problems in the hospital due to lack of manpower." "We have sent letters seeking immediate steps to remove the problem," the AD added.

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