FE Report
Services from the state-owned healthcare centres in rural areas are being hampered for lack of adequate infrastructures, medial equipment, nurses, physicians and medicines, a social audit on health said.
According to the survey findings, the government should take immediate steps to overcome those hurdles for ensuring quality healthcare services in rural areas where 30 per cent people normally go to union healthcare centres, 21 per cent to upazila health complexes, 15 per cent each to community clinics and district hospitals, 16 per cent to private doctors and 4 per cent to private clinics to avail health-related services.
Sushasoner Jonny Pro-charavizan -- SUPRO conducted the survey of social audit in 12 districts to know the current status of the state-provided health services after taking information and opinions from various stakeholders like medical officers, civil surgeons, nurses, patients and other service receivers, family welfare officers and people's representatives.
Under the study, information was collected in three levels -- Upazila, Union and Community Health Clinic. The FDG (Focus Group Discussion)-based survey covered districts were Pabna, Tangail, Shariatpur, Kushtia, Jamalpur, Dinajpur, Bogra, Sunamganj, Noakhali, Netrakuna, Laxmipur and Satkhira.
A total of 43 service providers in union healthcare centres took part in the social audit and 77 per cent of them said the centres have infrastructural and medical equipment shortcomings while 72 per cent identified inadequate number of nurses and other medical staff to deal with the growing number of service receivers.
Participants of the union healthcare centres, from where services pertaining to fever, family planning, diarrhoea, gynae, first aid and cold-related diseases are available, suggested immediate measures to increase the number of nurses and skilled manpower, raise in the supply of medicine, uninterrupted supply of power and installation of necessary equipment.
Citing interviews of 48 people, who received services from the union healthcare centres, the study said 85 per cent thought the service providers heard their problems with due attention and gave prescription to 71 per cent of them.
It said nearly 67 per cent received free medicines from the health centres while 46 per cent collected medicines from outside the centres. Some 54 per cent people received family planning services and materials from there and 25 per cent of them paid money to have those materials.
The social audit also interviewed a total of 131 local people to know the current status of the healthcare centres, especially the community clinics and 75 per cent of them opined that prescribed medicines are available in the centres while 22 per cent responded in the negative.
At the same time, 56 per cent said service receivers have to wait for hours to get the service from the centres.
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