The new 50-bed health complex at Chunarughat upazila in Habiganj, built six years ago, has yet to be inaugurated and become fully functional, keeping improved healthcare still out of reach of around 500,000 residents in the upazila.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, several locals claimed that they were suffering because of the lack of a functioning modern medical facility and had little hope that the health complex would be up and running anytime soon.
It is especially difficult for the impoverished locals who cannot afford to go to the cities such as Sylhet and Dhaka to acquire the medical help that they may need.
One such patient, Abdur Bashir Miah, resident of Durgapur village who went to the old health complex for treatment, said: “I do not have the money to go to the city for better treatment. I heard we can have better facilities at the new health complex. It must be inaugurated soon.”
Sources said the construction of the new Chunarughat Upazila Health Complex started in December 2006 and was finished in August 2009. Upgraded from the 31-bed old health complex to a 50-bed facility, the hospital has at least 50 vacant posts for medical and other staff, 21 of which are posts of specialist doctors.
Officials at the Chunarughat Upazila Health and Family Planning Office have written to the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs several times regarding the recruitment of doctors and staff to launch the hospital’s operations, but they have yet to receive any positive response.
Due to this negligence, the building and the medical equipment worth crores of taka are going to waste, the sources said.
When contacted in this regard, Dr Imtiaz Mamun, resident medical officer of Chunarughat health complex, said the local lawmaker was working to get the hospital up and running as soon as possible.
“We have written to the authorities concerned a number of times for the hospital. We hope it will be open for public soon, and we will be able to provide better healthcare to people,” said Dr Debashish Acharya, Chunarughat family planning officer.