Letters to the Editor
Sorry state of Feni 250-bed hospital
Monday, 24 July 2023
Investment in primary healthcare is a prerequisite for a country's social development. However, our public hospitals are often overburdened and understaffed. The state of the upazila health complexes is also pathetic. As government hospitals often have poor service and unhygienic conditions, people seek healthcare in private hospitals and have to pay exorbitant bills.
According to a news report, patients have to receive treatment in an unhygienic environment at the Feni 250-bed hospital. Beds in the hospital are in an awful state, infested with bed bugs and cockroaches. There are not enough doctors in the emergency section. The nurses and other staff do not seem to have any training to handle patients. Due to a lack of seats in the emergency wards, serious patients have to undergo treatment in general wards. There is no separate restroom for patients and patients' attendants. Operation theatres do not have proper lighting and medical equipment. Surgeries are often conducted in unhygienic condition. The hospital staff conducts tasks like dressing without wearing gloves. As there is not enough beds, patients often have to take treatment at the hospital's corridors and balcony. In some places, there are no fans for patients there. Also there is no arrangement for safe drinking water in the hospital. Patients here do not get medicine free of cost.
This is fairly a representation of the general condition of many public hospitals across the country. Anyone who has ever visited a public hospital in the country might have seen and experienced the same problems. We wonder why the conditions of our healthcare facilities are so deplorable when a big portion of our health budget is allocated for infrastructure development and purchase of modern equipment. Sure enough, a lack of cleanliness and absence of proper beds are problems that could be easily solved by the authorities concerned. We urge them to address the poor condition of Feni 250-bed hospital as quickly as possible and act accordingly.
Md. Maruf Hassan Bhiuyan,
Feni Sadar, Feni,
mdmarufhassanbhiuyen@gmail.com