Rangabali is country's only upazila without hospital

Nearly 200,000 people of Rangabali, an island upazila in Patuakhali, remain deprived of the fundamental right to healthcare. The entire upazila lacks any full-fledged hospital or specialist doctors. Consequently, patients requiring advanced treatment must risk their lives travelling by waterways to the district headquarters or neighbouring upazilas.

Surrounded by rivers and the sea, this upazila is located about 80 kilometres from the Patuakhali district headquarters. The main modes of transport here are speedboats, small trawlers or launches, and there is no fixed schedule. During storms or rain, water transport often comes to a halt, causing extreme suffering for emergency patients.

Locals claim that Rangabali is the only upazila in the country where a full-fledged hospital has yet to be established. As a result, the people here are deprived of healthcare services. Often, they are forced to rely on quacks, faith healers or amulets. Patients are given antibiotics without necessary tests or specialist consultations, further increasing health risks.

Local resident Md Saiful Islam said, "If someone falls seriously ill, we have to take them to Patuakhali or elsewhere by speedboat. The situation becomes more difficult during storms or rain."

Another resident, Rahim Begum, said, "If someone falls ill at night, there is no arrangement to take them anywhere quickly. If there were a good hospital, we wouldn't have to suffer this."

Investigations reveal that nearly a dozen years after Rangabali was declared an upazila, an upazila health complex has yet to be built. Getting primary treatment is often difficult, let alone modern medical care.

To address this problem, the Health Engineering Department began construction of a 50-bed hospital in July 2023. However, construction stopped in June 2024 after the fourth operational plan expired. The project is currently awaiting new approval.

Upazila Executive Officer Nahid Bhuiya said the matter has been raised in the Development Coordination Committee meeting, and initiatives will be taken to restart hospital construction by inviting tenders very soon.

It is noteworthy that Rangabali was declared an upazila in 2012. Comprising six unions, the upazila is now home to nearly 200,000 people, but they remain deprived of healthcare due to the absence of a full-fledged hospital.