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A visit to DMCH emergency unit

Tickets first or the patients?

By Naimul Haq
"Move away," shouted two boys carrying a middle-aged man who suffered severe in-junes due to electric shock and fall from the rooftop of a two storied building.
Unfamiliar with the hap-Glings at Dhaka Medical Col-_e Hospital (DMCH) emergency unit, the boys called for the attending doctors without obtaining the ticket.' After waiting for about four valuable minutes the boys were told by the ill-tempered ward boy to get emergency fee ticket.
Oh I see this patient is hot important to you but the ticket," one of the boys said.
Unable to have change for his hundred taka notes to pay for the ticket, the boy came back hurriedly from the nearby counter and tried to persuade Ihe ward boy to arrange immediate treatment of the patient "I will pay. but in the meantime you must call in the doctor." he appealed.
Twelve more minutes passed but the doctor concerned failed to turn up to provide primary treatment to Sabur Khan.
brought from Keraniganj on the other side of the river Burig-anga.
"Doctor, will you please come and see the patient?" Firoz. one of the boys, begged at room number 3. while aying Khan screamed in pain.
"Where am I?" asked halfconscious Khan. "Please give me something to relieve me of pain. I cannot tolerate it any longer," Khan moans.
"This is the reality here," said Shorab Sikdar. one of the DMCH emergency unit security guards.
Shorab, serving for over 15 years at the DMCH. continued. "I have seen so many patients dying right here No one seem to have sympathy for the patients. We have turned into machines. Doctors' behaviour may appear strange but it is the usual."
The attending doctors at the emergency room, one of them smoking, seemed to be relaxing when this correspondent tried to draw their attention saying, "Can you please see this patient?" One of the tired looking doctors said as usual. Show me
the 'ticket'. ”
Doctors refuse to attend patients at the emergency unit until they are shown the ticket', no matter how serious the condition of the patient is. "Is this why doctors are here for? To see the ticket first or the patient?" the frustrated father of a patient asked
During a visit to the DMCH emergency unit on Wednesday between 1 1:40 am and 3 pm. this correspondent witnessed arrival of 46 patients injured in road accidents, suffering bums, bone fractures, food poisoning, stab injuries, etc.
Most of the attendants of patients expressed their utter disappointment at the emergency service. Doctors’ negligence, space shortage, shabby-looking floor, dirty toilet and basins, absence of proper guidance and poor medicare were some of the common allegations of the guardians.
A five-year-old boy. severely bleeding from his nose, was screaming Despite repeated requests for help, the emergency medical officer failed to turn up. After eight minutes of wait, a brother' attending another patient came to see the child. His panic-stricken mother fainted there, unable to bear her son's pain.
Asked why were they sitting in the room when patients screamed for help, one of the emergency medical officers said. "It is not possible to keep standing at the corridor. Besides. some of the cases are not as severe as they seem." He explained, saying. "Some poor people posing as patients come here unnecessarily to seek free healthcare as free food facility is available once they are admitted. We are sick and tired of receiving such kinds of cases."
His colleague said. "The emergency unit at DMCH handles, on an average, 180 patients per shift. There are only two doctors, one brother and two ward boys in each shift. In fact, we are doing the job of four doctors here."
When contacted. DMCH Director Col Badrul Munir admitted the poor condition of the emergency unit and said. The first thing that is needed at the emergency unit is assignment of more doctors. The existing patient-doctor ratio is very poor. I am hopeful that we will soon overcome the problem."
Once the under-construction operation theatre is completed, he said. "We expect to see substantial development in emergency service. I have taken it as a challenge' to improve service to the really needy patients."