Magura 250-bed District Hospital in poor shape

OUR CORRESPONDENTS
Magura 250-bed District Hospital is now in structurally and logistically precarious conditions, mostly failing to provide necessary treatment to the patients coming from far and near.
Meanwhile, hundreds of patients are being deprived of necessary medical services as Gowainghat Upazila Health Complex in Sylhet district and Kulaura Upazila Health Complex in Moulvibazar district have been facing acute shortages of staff for a long time.
Our Correspondent from Magura says, sources said an acute shortage of doctors and cleaning staff, absence of required number of beds, lack of ICU (intensive care unit) facility, coronary and kidney units are among the multifarious problems facing the healthcare centre.
Insiders informed this correspondent that at present the hospital has only 25 doctors as against the sanctioned posts of 56 doctors. Moreover, among the 25 doctors, five are working elsewhere on deputation; that means only 20 doctors are serving the patients at present. The most unfortunate matter is that failing to manage huge rush of patients, doctors transfer them to Magura Medical College Hospital as they can relax seeing relatively less number of patients.
Within last three months, six doctors have been transferred to the medical college hospital. Number of doctors serving in the emergency department is only three as against sanctioned six. Consequently, emergency patients are deprived of proper treatment.
The hospital provides services to 400 to 500 patients a day while its present accommodation capacity is only 250 beds.
At present, the number of child patients admitted to the hospital is about 100 while available beds are only 40. Due to inadequacy of beds, patients are receiving treatment lying on the hospital floor amid further health hazards. On the other hand, cleaning work here is being hampered as the number of cleaners working in the hospital at present is only 14 as against 21. In this situation, patients are forced to seek treatment here amid unhygienic condition.
In the meantime, an ICU unit has been set up in the hospital but it brings no good to the patients due to lack of manpower and technical support.
Every day patients are transferred to Faridpur and Dhaka hospitals from here failing to provide them with ICU support.
The number of kidney patients is rising in the district alarmingly but the hospital has no dialysis centre. Almost every day patients are rushed to this hospital after cardiac attack but the hospital fails to treat them properly for not having a coronary unit.
The hospital has only two ambulances, one of which is lying abandoned for years while another is unable to give long-route service. The ambulance which remains on duty goes out of order if it runs more than 50 kilometres.
The hospital has a generator. But the generator has been left inoperative for years as there is no budget for its fuel cost. During load-shedding, the hospital plunges into darkness causing extreme suffering to the patients.
When contacted, Magura 250-bed District Hospital superintendent Dr Md Mohashinuddin acknowledged the bad shape the hospital is now in.
"After joining here, I initiated to repair the out-of-order ambulance. However, now the ambulance is being used," he said.
Expressing optimism, he said recently 10 doctors have been appointed in the hospital, adding he is hopeful that treatment service in the hospital will take a positive turn.
Our Correspondent from Sylhet says, sources said Gowainghat Upazila Health Complex has only 50-bed facility where a good number of patients come every day.
But, the hospital cannot provide adequate medical services due to acute shortages of manpower and equipment.
Only four against 31 sanctioned posts of physicians are working at the hospital, they add. The operation theatre at the hospital has long remained unused and uncared for, forcing patients to go elsewhere for minor surgeries. Over 0.4 million (4 lakh) people of villages in 13 unions have to depend on the public facility while about 300 to 400 attend it every day for treatment, but most of them get disappointed for various reasons.
The quarters for physicians and nurses have also remained unused, sources informed.
The complex lacks upazila family planning officer, junior consultants for paediatrics, anesthesia, gynae & obstetrics, medicine, cardiology, ENT, orthopedic, surgery, eye, skin, veneral disease etc, 3 medical officers for pathology, emergency and indoor, emergency medical officer, dental surgeon, resident medical officer, Homeo medical officer, Ayurved medical officer etc had been lying vacant for long.
Besides, posts of eight union health sub-centres have remained vacant in the upazila. There is an acute shortage of class-four employees too while one of seven cleaners' posts is there to manage the job. So, the hospital building remains dirty almost all time.
The digital X-ray machine worth Tk 2.2 million has been inoperative for a long time.
Sources said that serious patients are often referred to Osmani medical college hospital or others in the district or divisional city while poor families fall in another problem to bear excess transport costs.
Moreover, the WHO-supported emergency facility for the mothers and newborn (obstetrics) patients had been shut mainly due to manpower shortage.
The higher authorities are fully aware of the situation in the hospital, the official added.
Sylhet's civil Surgeon Manisar Chowdhury said the upazila hospitals are running short of physicians and other staff members.
"We have written letters to the health directorate and other high officials about the hospital situation. Hopefully we would get some physicians and other staff soon."
In another development, Kulaura Upazila Health Complex has been struggling to provide medical services as 10 officials and doctors had long been serving at other places on deputation. They provide serves in other hospitals, but come here only to draw salary.
Sources informed that about 4 lakh people of villages in 13 unions and a municipality are dependent on the government facility of 50-bed hospital.
Every day, nearly 500 patients suffering from various health complications come to the hospital for treatment apart from 100 others in emergency department.
About 70 others remain admitted to the hospital while only 13 physicians working against 31 posts.
An official at Kulaura health complex informed that a list of physicians and other staff members on deputation has been sent to the higher authorities.
Civil surgeon office sources in Moulvibazar said the deputation had already created a troublesome situation at all health facilities.
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