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Patients suffer as doctors, nurses on Eid holidays

Shaheen Mullah and MahbubaZannat
Patients have faced a lot of suffering during Eid holidays as most doctors and nurses at government and private hospitals were on leave.
The emergency departments of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) and National Institute of Traumatology Orthopedics Rehabilitation (NITOR) also saw a huge influx of patients as most city hospitals and clinics failed to provide emergency services due to shortage of doctors.
Although there was shortage of nurses and doctors at DMCH and NITOR, the patients received emergency treatment. But the admission rate was hi w. . ■ ..<«wwr^e^*M**»
I DMCH sources said some 540 patients# came to the emergency department on Sunday, but it was difficult to treat all of them properly as many doctors and nurses were on leave.
The patients who were already admitted to DMCH also suffered.
During Eid holidays, only a nurse was assigned to attend to about 150 patients in every four wards of DMCH, said an official.
Meanwhile, patients of several public hospitals, including DMCH, alleged that
the hospital authorities released a huge number of patients before Eid holidays although they are not fully cured, so that the hospital authorities could handle fewer patients while doctors and nurses would be on leave.
Amena Begum, aged around 50, told this correspondent that she was admitted to DMCH with severe pain in the abdomen two weeks ago, but the doctors are yet to diagnose her disease.
"Last week, the doctors told me to go back home for at least ten days as it would not be possible for them to provide proper services during Eid holidays," said Amena, who came from Shariatpur.
However, she finally left the hospital on Wednesday.
On Friday, the day before Eid day, the numbPrrif ’hdobr patients at DMCH was 1188. Usually the number ranges from 2000 to 2300 during normal period, hospital sources said.
There are some 608 nurses in DMCH and only 129 of them were on duty on Friday, they added.
When contacted, DMCH Director Brig Gen Bazle Kader said that there have been shortage of nurses in the hospital for the last few years.
"But there was no shortage of doctors during this Eid vacation," he added. He also refuted the allegation that the patients were released before they are cured.
At NITOR, over one hundred emergency patients came a day during the Eid holidays. But most patients were given first aid and asked to come back after Eid holidays, as many doctors and nurses were on leave.
Only the critically ill patients were admitted in the last few days, NITOR sources said.
When contacted. Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Shah Monir Hossain said the government has cancelled the leave of the staffs who belong to faiths pQier than Islam to ensure proper, seev^e to the patients. Besides, *o\her' doctors were also assigned to work in place of those who went on leave, he added.
"However, we will have to admit that there are shortage of doctors and nurses in health facilities and that the authorities are yet to approve recruitment of more doctors and nurses. If more doctors and nurses could be recruited soon, services in the hospitals would certainly be improved even during long vacations," he added.