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Suhrawardi Hospital limping along on limited facilities

Mahbuba Zannat
Relatives of a mason who had suffered a head injury were crying helplessly at the emergency ward of Sha heed Suhrawardi Hospital in the city where the attending doctor and nurses did not do anything except referring the patient to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).
They even did not provide any primary treatment to the patient who needed at least half an hour or more to take him to the DMCH, said the scared brother of the patient.
Motaleb, 32, fell from an under-construction building at Mohammadpur area and received severe injury in his head.
As die Suhrawardi Hospital is nearer to Mohammadpur, the relatives brought him to that hospital for quick treatment, but it only led to his delayed treatment.
A significant number of patients who seek treatment at the emergency department of the hospital are referred to other hospitals, as the hospital is yet to be equipped with full-fledged emergency service facilities.
" Everyday on an average some 30 to 100 patients who seek treatment here are referred to different hospitals as we don't have enough faciliTjesfortreatirig therh,” said’ tHe '6h'-8dty Emergency Medical Officer Dr Sai fi.il.
"As we don' t have any CT Scan machinehere, we cannot provide service for patients with head injury. At the same time, due to lack of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) we have to refer them to other hospitals,” he said, adding, "We just give primary treatment to the patients, and if necessary, we admit them to this hospital.”
But as there is no casualty, neurosurgery, neurology, paediatric surgery and cardiology departments, the hospital has to
send back these patients without considering whether their condition iscri tical or not, he added.
It is also surprising that no emergency operation takes place in the 375-bed public hospital except the delivery for lack of manpower and surgical instruments.
Shortage of medicine at the hospital also leads to continuous sufferings of the poor patients, and often the hospital can supply only 10 types of medicine at a time although it should have more than 70 types of drugs, sources said. Other facilities also were not expanded although the inflow of patients increased a lot in last fewyears.
The bed occupancy at indoors increased from 73.92 percent to 76.91 percent in 2005 and 2006, which was mounted to 87.36 percent in 2008. But the number of doctors has not been increased since last 10 years.
A total of 192 doctors, nurses and class three and class four employees were recruited in 1997 and then some class three and
class four employees were recruited in 2004, and since then no recruitment was made. At present the hospital is running with97doctorsand 172 nurses.
" Though we applied to health ministry for some 160 registrars, assistant registrars and 100 medical officers along with professors, associate and assistant professors, nurses and technicians a few months back, we are yet to get any response from there," said die acting director of the hospital Prof Yakub UI Azad, adding that, lack of manpower hampers the service in die hospital.
While visiting the medicine outdoor at 1:00pm, this correspondent found a large number of patients waiting since 9:00am, but they were yet to get the serial.
"Everyday nearly 400 patients come for treatment at the outdoor department of medicine ward, but there are only four doctors to attend them. It is not possible for a doctor to treat a hundred patients from 8:00am to
1:00pm,” said theon-dutydoctor, adding that the situation is almost same at die outpatient departments at ENT, Skin and Gynae.
The pressure of the patients has been rising day by day in the hospitals, especially after its turning into a medical college in 2005
Some 1500 patients on an average everyday seek treatment at outdoor and emergency departments.
While talking to The Daily Star, director of the hospital said they applied to the government nine months ago for making it a 625-bed hospital.
If the government approves, then it will be possible to open new departments like intensive care unit, coronary care unit, cardiology, neurosurgery, neurology and paediatric surgery, he said.
The health ministry has recentiy informed that the proposal for expanding the capacity of the hospital is under process, headded.