Medical services are being seriously disrupted at 250-bed Meherpur General Hospital due to shortage of doctors.
Hospital sources said an average of 1,000 patients receive treatment at the outpatient department of the hospital every day.
However, services are being hampered due to the transfer of seven important doctors amidst the crisis of doctors. Many patients are not getting proper medical care as important posts like medicine consultant, orthopaedic and two resident medical officers are lying vacant at the hospital, which is the trusted place for treatment of seven lakh people.
General doctors are struggling to provide treatment for the related diseases. Doctors are referring most of the patients to Kushtia or Rajshahi Medical College Hospitals. The president of the hospital management committee, local MP and public administration minister Professor Farhad Hossain, has given a letter to the secretary of the relevant ministry for the urgent appointment of doctors and workers for the sake of public interest.
Due to lack of appointment of doctors, patients with many diseases are still returning from the hospital without treatment. Rounds are not being given on time due to shortage of doctors in important wards. Patients have complained that doctors go to some wards after 1:00pm.
According to the hospital sources, the 250-bed hospital has already been running for several years with the manpower of 100 beds. As per manpower structure of a 100-bed hospital, there are posts for 42 physicians. Of them, 25 posts of doctors are lying vacant at the hospital.
The posts of doctors like senior consultant (medicine), senior consultant (surgery), junior consultant (ortho-surgery), junior consultant (pathology), junior consultant (skin & sex), radiologist, medical officer, emergency medical officer and anaesthetist have remained vacant in important departments. Even though there is an operation theatre, no major operation can be done due to lack of doctors. Pathology department is about to close due to lack of technicians. Operation patients with obstetric problems are eventually forced to move to private clinics.
Hospital superintendent Dr Zamir Md Hasibus Sattar said due to the lack of medicine consultants, standard medical services cannot be provided for the treatment of major problems and complex diseases. Due to the lack of orthopaedic doctor, the injured in major accidents cannot be given any kind of treatment beyond basic treatment. The hospital is running with only one emergency medical officer, instead of seven officers. After 8:00pm, the hospital has to be run by medical assistant (SACMO) and interns.
