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Acute neurosurgeon crisis in countr

Vast majority of patients deprived of treatment


Bangladeshpost
Published : 23 Nov 2019 09:38 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 08:49 PM

D S Sourav
There are only 160 neurosurgeons in the country for the treatment of 16 million people suffering from different types of neurological disorders. Which is just ten in every million.
It is also reported that most of the neuro medicine and neurosurgeons are concentrated in the metro cities keeping the rural population in the dark on treatment facilities.
Despite the acute shortages, however, none of the 492 Upazila health complex has any post of neuro medicine or neurosurgery to advise treatment for the local population. Even worse, there is no position of a neurosurgeon at the district hospitals outside the medical college established in the district.
Experts said that despite having so many state-run as well as private medical colleges where they have faculties of neuro medicine and neurosurgery the hospitals still lack neuro specialists.
As a result, marginalized people are being referred to as the capital or divisional headquarters hospital if they need surgery for neurological problems.
However, only 160 neurosurgeons are working, mostly in the capital, to treat patients across the country. In contrast to the number of patients present, the doctors are inadequate. As a result, it is important to increase the number of students enrolled in medical colleges and neuro-science courses in eight old medical colleges.
According to data provided by the Bangladesh Society of Neurosurgeons, there are currently 160 neurosurgeons in the treatment of 16 million people. As right now, Bangladesh needs about 1,600 neurosurgeons.
Doctors at the Neurosurgeons Society said that apart from the National Institute of Neuroscience Hospital in Sher-e-Bangla in the capital, there are 630 beds for neurosurgery patients in public hospitals in the city.
These include 125 in BSMMU, 290 in Mitford, 8 in Mymensingh Medical, 95 in Chittagong, 40 in Rajshahi, 30 at Combined Military Hospital (CMEH), and 30 outside private hospitals, according to a list of medical hospitals.
Concerned medical experts also say that currently there are several subspecialists in neurosurgery such as salvage, pediatric, vascular, endoscopic and oncology.
Since it is a specialized service, sufficient manpower and modern equipment are needed to treat the disease.
However, in most medical institutes, craniotomy, highspeed drill, operating microscope, endoscope, neuro navigator and neuro cath lab are not available in proportion to the number patient.
In this regard, President of Bangladesh Society of Neurosurgeons Dr ATM Mosharraf Hossain said, “It is time to take necessary steps to provide better services to patients by developing equally collaborative issues like neuro anaesthesia, neuroradiology, neuropathology. Because postgraduate young neurosurgeons who have passed through different institutes are not being employed properly.
It is important to create separate positions in the neurological departments of all medical institutions at the public and private level, he added.
Treasurer of the Bangladesh Society of Neurosurgeons, Dr Akhlakh Hossain Khan said that neurosurgery is debuting as a fast-growing and promising high-tech subject.
“Neurosurgery has expanded into different disciplines in anticipation of age and demand. But due to various inadequacies, marginal people are deprived of the standard services of all kinds of neurological diseases,” he added.
However, he mentioned that the problem would not be increased if the number of posts in the medical centres of Upazila and district level were fulfilled.