Patients who come to Baralekha upazila health complex find that it is seriously understaffed. However, there is no alternative, because there isn't a single doctor on duty at the union level.
Dr Azim Uddin, the upazila health and family planning officer, when contacted, confirmed the vacancies of medical staff in Baralekha upazila.
Sources said medical equipment worth crores of Taka were becoming decrepit from a lack of use as posts for medical technicians and health care providers remain vacant.
The upazila health and family planning officer is doing his best to serve patients but cannot adequately perform medical duties because so much time is spent on administrative functions, sources said.
Nine medical officers and consultants are supposed to cater to the needs of the upazila's 250,000 people at the Baralekha health complex, official sources said.
However, the tiny ratio of care providers to population is further diminished by the fact that eight of nine physicians' posts at the health complex have been vacant for the last two months. Only the family planning officer, one of the nine health complex staff, was working.
The family planning officer attends meetings at the upazila and district levels, sees to official business, and conducts training programmes, in addition to medical duties.
After doing all of this, it is difficult to single-handedly serve to the sick who come to the 50-bed Baralekha upazila health complex for treatment.
To mitigate the crisis, two union-level medical officers have been deputed to the upazila health complex to shore up the understaffed health complex until the authorities assign new doctors.
The health complex is currently staffed by three sub-assistant community medical officers serving outpatients and two medical officers, on deputation, treating inpatients.
The lack of staff at the health complex has translated into decreased medical care.
Hospital sources said caesarean operations (also called c-sections) were regularly offered in the past to poor mothers facing difficult or complicated deliveries.
However, the lack of an anaesthesiologist or an obstetrician-gynaecologist on staff has meant that c-sections are no longer on offer. The costly x-ray machine at the health complex has been idle because there isn't anyone there to operate it.
Aside from the upazila health complex, medical care is provided at the union level through 10 union health sub-centres.
Ten medical officer posts exist so that one doctor can be assigned to each sub-centre. However, only three medical officers are currently on the roster and 7 posts are vacant. Of the three working medical officers, one is on maternity leave and the other two have been deputed to the upazila health complex.
The result is that currently there are no medical officers at any of the union health sub-centres in Baralekha upazila.