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NARSINGDI SADAR HOSPITAL
Limping along on limited facilities
JAHIDUL ISLAM, Narsingdi
“I have been waiting for four hours for my test since I arrived here at 9:00am with a stomach ache. However, by the time my turn arrived, the doctor had already left the hospital,” said Sonia Akter while talking to this correspondent recently.
The 28-year-old mother of three had to travel from Alokbali in Sadar upazila to reach Narsingdi Sadar Hospital.
Sonia is not the only one. Other patients too shared similar experiences.
Hundreds of patients went there every day from different upazilas of Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria and Kishoreganj.
While patients have been suffering due to a shortage of doctors and facilities, illegal local brokers, promising patients to make the process a little easier, have taken over the hospital’s alleys, adding to the menace.
Established in 1962, the hospital currently has seven units -- outpatient, emergency, pathology, X-ray, blood bank, ultrasonography, and ECG. Ambulance facilities are available on a limited scale, and most tests are done with old machines.
According to hospital sources, limited staff and a shortage of modern, residential, and technological facilities are to blame for the hospital’s condition.
SHORTAGE OF STAFF, BEDS
A total of 21 doctors are supposed to be employed at this hospital; however, only 14, including consultants, are currently serving patients. There are no consultants in cardiology, surgery, physical medicine, or ophthalmology departments.
During a recent visit, this correspondent found patients waiting in the emergency room while there were no doctors or trained paramedics to tend to them.
“I have to attend to around 120-150 patients every day, which makes it difficult for me to properly diagnose them,” said Rozi Sarkar, a medical officer at the hospital.
According to hospital sources, around 2,000 patients visit the centre every day for treatment, including 500-600 at the emergency unit alone. At least 80-85 patients are admitted to the hospital on a daily basis. However, it also has only 100 seats -- 15 for children, 23 for women, 42 for men, 20 for gynaecology, and 10 for diarrhoea units.
Thus, a large number of patients have to stay on the floors, corridors, and balconies. The shortage of manpower further exacerbates their sufferings, informed Mahmodul Kabir Basar, resident medical officer.
“The authority knows that we have been short-staffed since 2014. I had also asked them to appoint at least 50 doctors, including consultants, here, but to no avail,” he added.
While talking to this correspondent, multiple patients at the hospital said they had to wait for at least an hour in line to get a ticket and another 3-5 hours just to access the outdoor facilities. The wait is even longer when it comes to meeting doctors, taking tests, and accessing necessary medicines.
Many patients and their attendants alleged that unplanned garbage dumping in 7-8 adjacent open drains not only increases the risk of dengue infections but also compromises the overall cleanliness of the hospital, located near Narsingdi Municipality.
The overgrown bushes on the hospital compound due to a lack of mowing further worsen the hospital’s hygiene.
Furthermore, only 12 beds in four wards “I
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