Shortage of physicians hampers medical care in Lalmonirhat's health complexes

LALMONIRHAT, Sept 23: An acute shortage of doctors is severely affecting health services for nearly 1.6 million people across Lalmonirhat district's five upazilas. Patients have long been deprived of adequate medical care at the 250-bed Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital and other upazila health complexes.
According to sources, there are 137 sanctioned doctor posts across six health complexes-including the Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital-but only 36 doctors are currently serving. Most key positions remain vacant, causing serious disruptions in service delivery.
Lalmonirhat, a northern frontier district, relies heavily on these local facilities as most residents cannot afford to seek modern healthcare in Dhaka or Rangpur. They depend largely on upazila health complexes and village doctors (Polli Chikishshoks) for treatment.
However, the acute shortage of qualified doctors and support staff is severely hampering effective care.
Sources also revealed that 1,500 to 1,800 patients visit the outdoor department daily at Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital. The hospital also serves patients from neighboring Fulbari and Nageshwari upazilas of Kurigram district, further increasing the burden on its facilities.
The Sadar Hospital has 40 sanctioned posts for medical officers, consultants, and specialists, but only 17 doctors are currently working, including eight medical officers and others in anaesthesia, dentistry, and consultancy roles. Although the hospital has been upgraded to 250 beds, with a new building equipped with modern facilities, the available manpower is still insufficient for even a 100-bed hospital.
Doctors and staff are under tremendous pressure to manage the heavy patient load both in outdoor and indoor departments. Specialist positions in ENT, ophthalmology, pathology, dermatology, dentistry, and radiology have remained vacant for long periods.
During a visit, the hospital environment was found unsatisfactory, with used medicine packets, saline bottles, and plastic waste scattered across the premises. Hospital sources noted that only eight medical officers are available to attend to the overwhelming number of patients daily, making effective service delivery extremely difficult.
Speaking to The Financial Express (FE), Shupendronath Datto, a development worker and member of the Conscious Citizens Committee (CCC) under TIB Lalmonirhat, said, "As a watchdog, we have worked to improve health services here and recommended ways to enhance quality. But without sufficient manpower, improvements are impossible. We urge the authorities to appoint more doctors in the district's five hospitals."
Dr. Abdul Hakim, Civil Surgeon of Lalmonirhat, acknowledged the challenges: "Managing the huge daily crowds of outdoor patients is difficult. We need more specialist doctors to ensure minimum health services. We have already informed the respective ministry about the shortage of doctors and manpower."