Treatment in Tentulia Upazila Health Complex is being hampered as 23 position of doctors in the hospital remained vacant for a long time. The lack of doctors is causing significant suffering to the people of the upazila.
Tentulia town is 40 kilometres away from Panchagarh. Often critical patients have to travel this long distance to go to District Sadar Hospital. However, even in there, they do not get adequate treatment sometimes. The patients are referred to Rangpur Medical College and Hospital most of the time and many patients die on the way to the hospital. More than one hundred thousand people of the upazila are suffering as a result.
According to the statistics department of the hospital, the hospital was upgraded to a 50-bed hospital from a 31-bed hospital in 2005. There are 28 positions for doctors in the hospital including Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, Medical Officer, Junior Consultant and Assistant Surgeon. The position of Resident Medical Officer, Junior Consultant (ophthalmology), Junior Consultant (medicine), Junior Consultant (orthopaedics), Junior Consultant (cardiology), Junior Consultant (anesthesia), Junior Consultant (pediatrics), Junior Consultant (dermatology), Assistant Surgeon (IMO), Assistant Surgeon (EMO), Assistant Surgeon (pathology), Assistant Surgeon (anesthesia), Medical Officer are currently vacant. As a result, two Sub-Assistant Community Medical Officers, along with pharmacist, are providing treatment in both the emergency department and inpatients department.
The patients complained that they are being deprived of treatment as there is a lack of doctors in the hospital. They are being forced to go to diagnostic centres and clinics. The low income people are suffering because of that.
A number of patients who came to take treatment in the Upazila Sadar Hospital said they cannot consult any specialist doctors in the hospital. They have to go to doctors in other clinics because of that. They said that even though there is a government hospital, there suffering know no bounds. They do not have the ability to go see a doctor in a private clinic either.
Almost one and a half lakh people of Tentulia upazila are dependent on this Upazila Health Complex for their treatment. On average, 400 people come to seek medical treatment in the outpatient department of the hospital every day. Moreover, 50 to 100 people come for treatment in the emergency department daily. About 25 to 30 patients who come to take treatment in the outpatient department get admitted in the inpatient department and take treatment there. The authority is struggling to provide treatment to the huge number of patients with the limited manpower as there is a shortage of doctors in the hospital.
Moreover, as there is no pediatrics in the hospital, the mothers have to take their children to the Panchagarh Modern Sadar Hospital which 40 kilometres away or to Thakurgaon Modern Sadar Hospital which 75 kilometres away.
In the same away, there is no Medical Officer in Tironihat, Kalandiganj and Bhajanpur sub-health centres. As there are no doctors in the sub-health centres, the people are being deprived of treatment. The concerned people of Tentulia upazila raised their demand to ensure the treatment of the public by appointing doctors in the vacant positions of Tentulia Upazila Health Complex.
Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr SM Ruhul Amin said they are struggling to provide medical services with limited staff as there is a shortage of specialist doctors and Medical Officers. Moreover, they are trying to provide the best possible service in the outpatient department of the hospital with Sub-Assistant Community Medical Officers. However, since Tentulia is a promising tourist destination, both domestic and international visitors often seek medical care here when they fall ill. In light of this situation, a request has been submitted to the higher authorities to fill the vacant positions of important doctors in the hospital.
