People living in Barisal region especially who mainly depend on government healthcare services are deprived of proper healthcare services due to manpower shortage at different upazila health complexes, general hospitals and health centres.
According to divisional health directorate office, a total of 507 out of 1,061 posts of doctors in public hospitals, heath centres and clinics have been lying vacant for long.
The sources said Barisal division has 40 upazila health complexes, one 250-bed hospitals, four 100-bed district level general hospitals, thirty-five 31-bed, five 20-bed, three 10-bed health centres and four tuberculosis centres, but these public health service providers do not have sufficient staff so that these can be able to serve rural people properly.
Apart from this, 70 sub-health centres and 267 union health and family planning centres are also giving medical services on limited scale, said ATM Mizanur Rahman, deputy director of divisional health directorate office.
Divisional health directorate office sources said 95 out of 141 doctors in Barguna, 118 out of 229 posts in Patuakhali, 99 out of 200 posts in Bhola, 82 out of 166 posts in Pirojpur, 74 out of 223 posts in Barisal, 39 out of 102 posts of physicians in Jhalakathi district hospitals, upazila health and specialised health centres are lying vacant, putting poor people grave misery.
However, Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital has been excluded from the list.
The worst sufferers of the shortages of physicians are mostly rural, poor, unprivileged group of people who have no ability to take healthcare services from private sector spending money, said Anowar Zahid, district coordinator of health rights movement.
Besides, monitoring system of this service is very poor. A large number of doctors working at different district and upazila level hospitals, health centres and clinics do not perform their duties properly. Sometimes, they do not attend offices as many of them are living in the capital city.
Almost all the ambulances and other instruments at government hospitals have remained out of order for long, said Dr Habibur Rahman, district president of health right movement.
Dr Binoy Krishna Biswas, divisional health director, acknowledging the facts, said general public health services in Barisal division was insufficient.
“As physicians have to serve a huge number of patients, sometimes they cannot be able to serve them properly, he added.
He, however, said posting of recently passed out BCS doctors might help to ease crisis.