Shortage of docs at Kaliganj UZ health complex

JHENIDAH, Dec 15: Physician shortage at Kaliganj Upazila Health Complex in the district is hampering medical services.
A total of 16 posts of consultant and medical officer rank of different departments, out of 20 are lying vacant here depriving over 0.3 million people of the upazila of proper treatment under the government hospital.
Only one consultant doctor in place of 10 posts is providing service.
There are three doctors of medical officer rank, out of a total of 10 posts are working here in the hospital.
The nine vacant consultant posts are those of Surgery, Medicine, Child, Orthopedics Cardiology, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Skin and Sex and Anesthesia.
Meanwhile, seven vacant posts of medical officer rank include those of medical officers, indoor medical officer, emergency medical officer, anesthesia medical officer and dental surgeon.
Some paramedical officers are giving services to patients at outdoors and emergency department for lack of MBBS doctors.
The X-ray machine of the hospital is out of order for over 15 years.
The patients of the upazila get bound to go different private clinics spending much more amount of money than a government hospital charges.
As there is no medical officer to conduct anaesthesia, operation is hardly done here hiring anaesthetist expert from Jhenidah town. However, occasionally caesarean operation is done lest the operation tools get wasted.
The upazila health complex was established in 1967 on three acres of land.
Every day a large number of patients visit the outdoors of the health complex. But most of them return home for not finding the concerned departmental doctor they want to see.
Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Hussain Safat said they wrote to the higher authority informing the current problem.
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