TUHIN SHUBHRA ADHIKARY

Parvin Begum came to the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS) along with one of her ailing relatives who needed treatment there. However, she suddenly felt dizzy, collapsed and became critically ill.

Her son Tanzir stood in the queue for nearly an hour before managing to have his mother seen by an outdoor doctor.

The doctor advised them to take her to another hospital as there were no vacant beds available. In fact, many patients who had arrived before them could not be admitted either, he was told, as the 500-bed public hospital is struggling to cope with the growing number of patients.

And yet, a new 500-bed unit of the hospital has remained unutilised for over four months since its inauguration on December 8 last year due to a lack of necessary manpower and budgetary allocation.

Prof Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the then chief adviser at the health ministry, inaugurated the unit, which was built at a cost of Tk 506 crore between January 2018 and December 2024, without ensuring the required manpower and budgetary allocation.

Doctors and staffers said that all All In

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