Infrastructural development has never been carried out at the Mother and Child Welfare Centre in Sunamganj since its establishment 64 years ago, heightening the sufferings of patients.
The number of patients has risen steadily over the years but there has been no upgrade of the facility in terms of manpower and patient beds.
There are some 35,600 pregnant women in the district at present and locals say the six-bed facility, located on the DS Road area and roofed over with corrugated iron, has to be modernised to ensure proper care for these women.
Pregnant women and children from financially disadvantaged families mostly seek medical care at the facility, which currently serves 40 newborn babies in the outdoor section every day. Some 10-15 expectant mothers undergo procedures every month at the facility.
But patients have to face unavailability of hospital beds and many even stay on the floor during treatment.
The facility has two doctors and seven nurses but there is no intensive care unit to serve patients in need of the service.
Deputy Director of the Family Planning Department’s Sunamganj office, Md Mozammel Haque, said a total of 98 mother and child welfare centres across the country had been upgraded except the one in Sunamganj.
He said three proposals for modernising the centre had been sent to the Health Ministry that include construction of a five-storey building on the same land with a facility of 20 beds.
“The ministry is processing the proposals.”
The president of Sunamganj District Sasthyagrahita Forum, Shergul Ahmed, said many families are insolvent to spend Tk15,000-20,000, which is a typical amount charged at private clinics or hospitals for child delivery.
Dr Jasim Uddin Khan, healthcare officer at the facility, said the authorities had been urged for the last six years to upgrade it to a 20-bed centre but no step had yet been taken to implement the proposal.
Sunamganj Civil Surgeon, Md Abdul Hekim, emphasised the necessity of improving the facility.
He opined that doing so would help patients receive better services but could not say when necessary steps towards that would be taken.
Sunamganj 4 lawmaker, Pir Fazlur Rahman, told the Dhaka Tribune he had already talked to the health minister about upgrading the facility several times.
“I will try my best to bring the issue to the minister’s immediate attention.”