Addressing manpower shortage at the public healthcare facilities

Public health services across the country are being severely hampered due to the shortage of health professionals. Hundreds of posts of physicians, nurses, paramedics, medical assistants and other staff have been lying vacant in the government hospitals and upazila health complexes for years. The number of medical colleges and hospitals has been increasing day by day. Medical equipment, medicine, instruments, beds and other accessories have been provided to those heath care facilities. But the crisis of manpower is disrupting crucial medical services, particularly, at the district headquarters, where more than 50 per cent of posts for doctors lie vacant.
Scarcity of doctors and other medical staff is a common problem in the public hospitals and health complexes in Bangladesh. Many of these facilities also suffer from a lack of necessary equipment and supplies. The authorities concerned should find a out of this crisis and make physicians available especially in the remote corners of the country, where patients have to struggle to have access to essential healthcare services. We hope the authorities will take steps to fill up the vacant posts immediately to ensure proper health services to us. Otherwise, existing health care establishments will remain underutilised.
Md Ashraf Hossain,
120, Middle Bashabo, Dhaka -1214,
mah120cb@yahoo.com