50-bed infrastructure but services for 31 beds, people of Bagatipara in distress

Although the Bagatipara Upazila Health Complex in Natore has a 50-bed infrastructure, service activities are running with staffing and management for 31 beds. The hospital's healthcare services are being severely hampered by long-standing staff shortages, a lack of medical equipment and administrative mismanagement. As a result, around one and a half lakh people of the upazila, who depend on this government hospital for treatment, are in extreme distress.

A visit to the Bagatipara Upazila Health Complex on the ground revealed such a fragile picture of healthcare services.

According to hospital sources, X-ray examinations have been suspended for about one and a half months due to a film crisis. As a result, patients are being forced to have tests done outside at extra cost. At the same time, regular tests are also being hampered in the pathology department due to a lack of necessary chemicals and a staff shortage.

Meanwhile, although the hospital has a generator, there is no fuel allocation, so admitted patients have to suffer extreme hardship in intense heat during power outages.

Visiting the hospital's X-ray room on the ground, the room was seen locked. Concerned officials said X-ray examinations have been suspended for about one and a half months due to the lack of an allocation for X-ray film. As a result, patients who come to have X-rays done on doctors' advice have to go to private institutions or elsewhere outside the hospital.

There are also various crises in the hospital's pathology department. A responsible official of the department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said only two staff members are performing duties in the pathology department as per the staffing structure for 31 beds. The two have to do everything—collecting various samples including blood and urine from patients, recording them in registers, conducting tests and preparing reports.

He said samples of an average of 40 to 45 patients are tested daily. Due to the lack of necessary staff, they are struggling to provide services as per demand. Alongside this, there is a crisis of necessary chemicals for diabetes tests and blood tests.

Entering through the entrance of the hospital's new building, dirty toilet water was seen accumulated on the road along the brick wall on the left side of the building. This is spreading a stench in the area and causing suffering for patients, their relatives and hospital staff. According to hospital authorities, a permanent solution to water drainage is not possible due to the lack of a planned sewerage system.

A new generator was seen under the stairs of the new building. According to hospital sources, the generator was run experimentally for one day. After that, it could not be run again due to the lack of a fuel allocation. As a result, admitted patients have to suffer extreme hardship during power outages.

On the other hand, two ambulances were seen kept in the garage on the west side of the hospital. Concerned sources said there has been a long-standing shortage of ambulance drivers at the hospital. Currently, Rakib, the driver of the upazila health and family planning officer's official vehicle, is also driving the ambulance. As a result, there is suffering in getting an ambulance during emergencies and transporting patients immediately.

People from various areas of the upazila, as well as from neighbouring upazilas including Lalpur and Arani, come to the Bagatipara Upazila Health Complex for treatment. This government health centre is especially the last hope for the poor and low-income people. However, patients and their relatives allege that the desired services are being hampered by the crisis of necessary staff, medical equipment and ancillary facilities.

Monoara Begum of Maria village in the upazila came to the hospital with her son for treatment. Although the doctor advised her to have a diabetes test, she learned upon going to the hospital's pathology department that the test was not available there. Frustrated, she had to turn to a private institution. She said even a common test like diabetes cannot be done at the upazila health complex. She is being forced to have tests done outside. This causes extra expense as well as sick patients having to travel repeatedly, which has become a major source of suffering.

Tosaddek Sarkar, a relative of a patient who came to the hospital for treatment from Galimpur village in the upazila, said the doctor asked the patient to have an X-ray done and brought back. Later, he learned that X-ray services were not operational at the hospital. He was forced to spend Tk 400 outside for the X-ray. It took until noon to return to the hospital with the report. Later, upon arriving, the concerned doctor was no longer there. As a result, he will have to come again the next day with the patient.

Despite multiple attempts to contact Dr Saikat Md Rezwanul Haque, the Bagatipara Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, on his mobile phone to learn about these crises at the upazila health complex, no response was received.

Natore Civil Surgeon Dr Muhammad Mashiur Rahman said a comment on the matter can be made after learning in detail about the problems of the health complex. However, various test equipment, including X-ray films, are purchased through a tender process at the beginning of the fiscal year. Some problems are created at the beginning of the fiscal year due to this process. The tender process has already begun. He hopes the problem will be resolved soon.