Newly -built 250-bed Sunamganj hospital yet to be operational
Patients denied of medicare services in old one
Our Correspondent | Friday, 12 July 2019
SYLHET, July 11: The 250-bed Sunamganj District Hospital, which was handed over to the Health Department last year after completion of the construction works, couldn't be put into operation yet.
Different organisations and citizen forums staged demonstration and rallies to press the demand for making the hospital operative at the earliest.
They expressesd their dismay over the inaction of the authorities concerned.
The speakers at the rallies held in front of the Sadar Hospital alleged the patients are deprived of medicare services at the old district hospital due to the old arrangement and staff shortage. There is no physician at the emergency department and there is no ECG machine in the old hospital..
Besides, the X-ray machine had long been lying inoperative due to mysterious reasons. Most of the tests can't be done at the hospital, this is why the patients get compelled to move to the private diagnostic centres even for simple tests. A syndicate has been doing things on the government hospital for a long time.
Civil Surgeon, Sunamganj Ashutosh Dass told this correspondent recently it would take some more time to start the new hospital. Besides, the Prime Minister is scheduled to formally open the new establishment. "We would seek her appointment", he added.
The Ministry of Health and Family Planning started the project with a targeted cost Tk 320 million in 2014, but it was later raised to Tk 400 million while the time was extended till December 2017 from the original deadline June 2016.