Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University needs radical change

FE SpecialbrBangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, country's apex hospital university, needs a rapid change in order to survive and hold its image.brThe university located in Dhaka city's busy area Shahbag started its journey in 1998. People had great expectations from the university. While the volume of service of the university has increased, the quality of service has gone down, sources close to the university said.br Patients in the outdoor hospitals suffer a lot while waiting to see the doctors. A patient needs to stand several hours in the queue to meet the doctor. The sufferings of the outdoor patients are immense. After collecting tickets, they have to stand in the queue, and waiting is very uncomfortable. People stand very close to each other. They sweat very often. said Afroza, a student of Dhaka University who frequently visits the hospital. She is annoyed when she sees the representatives of various pharmaceutical companies meeting the doctors bypassing the queue of patients' valuable time. Also, she expressed dissatisfaction that waiting seats for the patients of the Department of Gynecology are occupied by the medical representatives of various pharmaceuticals. This causes embarrassment to women patients.brThere is always a pressure on the indoor beds. People feel that the hospital really needs to increase the number of beds and give better service to the patients. We want more beds, and better service, said Lovely, coming from Savar, whose father is under treatment in the hospital. brSources said the university has almost stopped various procurement activities. Modern equipment are not being purchased due to this. It was found that that there is an inconsistency between the procurement policy of the hospital and Public Procurement Act 2008 and then almost all procurement activities have been postponed.brThe purchase of OT equipments, which are very crucial for good service, has been stopped because the management does not dare to go for procurement now, because it is already alleged with 'procurement inconsistencies', sources said.brThe management of the university needs to be modernised, people with MBA education can be recruited , experts opined. brThe conflict of two groups of PG University since its establishment ten years back has been responsible for low level of education and slow progress of the university. brIn recent months the management of the university is busy with the imprisoned political leaders who are treated as VIP patients. This is causing lower standard of service to the other patients, the mass people are the ultimate sufferers.brThe university has scope to utilise its land resources. Some 45 acres of land south to the university can be taken care of immediately--it can used for the extension of the hospital in order to meet the growing demand of the patients. Also there is a piece of land of the university on the opposite and south to the Hotel Sheraton which can be properly used, said one teacher of the university on condition of anonymity.brAlso the university can utilise its other own sources. For example, the parking charge of a car is Tk. 10. This money can be used in preparing a shade so that visitors can use it to go from the main gate of the hospital to desired building, one high official commented.brGovernment officers need to be given some extra facilities as it was in the past -they can be provided with treatment at a discount, commented one teacher of the university. He also suggested the retired government officials should be given treatment at a discount.brThe patients feel the hospital can have more emergency sections for the ailing patients. Currently it has emergency only in 23 departments which is very much inadequate.brScarcity of fund is a great problem for the university. Government needs to sanction proper funding so that the university can meet people's expectations and thus it can become a great medical centre of the country, one concerned official felt.