While other government hospitals in the city are overflowing with patients, 3 hospitals of Chattogram railway have almost no patient.
On an average, there are only 5 to 10 patients in these hospitals every day.
Concerned people told Bangladesh Post that patients have been losing interest in these hospitals since 8/10 years due to various reasons including lack of doctors, specialists, surgeons, labs and diagnostic equipment.
In addition to the Railways' own staff, outsiders can seek treatment at these hospitals at low cost. When visiting a hospital, I found neither patients nor the doctors, but a few dogs wandering around there.
When contacted, Abdul Ahad, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Railway Hospital told Bangladesh Post that there is no specialist doctor in the hospital. Serious patients cannot be admitted here as there are not enough doctors.
``A few kilometers away, Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and Chattogram General Hospital are always full of patients, but no patients come here. The issue of patient crisis has been reported to the higher authority more than once, but no remedy has been found,`` he added.
According to railway sources, there are 4 hospitals in the eastern region of the Chattogram railway. However, apart from the Dhaka hospital, all the 3 hospitals in Chattogram have various problems.
A total of 11,000 workers along with 10,000-15,000 more retired from Chattogram Railway, rely on the medical care of these hospitals.
Apart from Chattogram Railway Hospital with 95 beds, the railway controlled hospitals are Halishahar Port Yard Hospital with 10 beds, Railway Hospital with 75 beds in Dhaka and Specialized Chest Disease Hospital with 50 beds in Chattogram. Port Yard Hospital, on the other hand, is currently closed.
There are 4 doctors in the Chattogram Division as against 17 posts in the register. One of them is Dr. Ibn Safi Abdul Ahad. He is the head or CMO.
Dr. Fatema Akter, A S External Affairs Department, has been on education leave for almost a year. Another, Dr. Shibu Nath, A S External Departments’-2 was absent on leave, but is coming to the hospital now. Dr. Jamal Hossain was occasionally brought to Chattogram from Laksam Railway Hospital.
Jahangir Hossain, General Manager of Eastern Railway, Chattogram told Bangladesh Post that there has been a shortage of doctors in hospitals for a long time. I have already informed the ministry about the matter.
Seen on the ground, Chattogram Railway Hospital has an ambulance, but it is damaged. No equipment for the operation. No patients and doctors were seen in the gynecology department, surgery department and medicine department.
No people were found inside the building of Chattogram Railway Chest Disease Hospital, while a few dogs were wandering around in the corridor.
On the one side is the Medical Technologist Lab room of A. M. M. Hamidur Rahman. He was sitting and talking to three other colleagues.
When asked, Hamidur Rahman told Bangladesh Post that he has been spending idle time in the lab from morning to afternoon for the last one and a half years.
According to the health department of the railway sources, the problem is mainly due to the non-appointment of permanent doctors for a long time, while 3 hospitals have at least 115 officers, employees, nurses and nannies.
The government is paying them a salary allowance of Tk. 5 core a year. In addition, if doctors are transferred, no other doctors are sent to replace them.
Bangladesh Railway Workers League Central Committee Organizing Secretary Sajjad Hossain told Bangladesh Post that the numbers of patients who come do not get any service except treatment for minor ailments like fever and headache.