Around 3,000 inpatients at Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital face the risk of losing their daily meals as the institution has received no government allocation for food supplies since July.
The hospital, which has 1,000 beds, treats around 5,000 patients daily, including 2,500–3,000 inpatients and more than 2,000 outpatient visitors.
Hospital authorities have so far managed to continue food supplies through the contractor at the director’s request. However, eggs were dropped from patients’ meals on October 15 to reduce costs. The director warned that food supplies could be suspended from March if the government allocation does not arrive.
Hospital Director Brigadier General Dr AKM Mashiul Munir told Bangla Tribune that the contractor had been asked to continue supplying meals despite the lack of funds since July.
“We have reduced the food cost by Tk15 per patient. There was no scope to remove anything else from the menu except eggs. Eggs will be added again once the allocation arrives. If the government funding does not come, we will have no option but to stop food supplies from March,” he said.
The hospital is the main healthcare facility for people across the six districts of Barisal Division, while patients from neighbouring districts also seek treatment there.
Despite its 1,000-bed capacity, around 3,000 patients are admitted daily. More than 1,000 patients receive treatment on floors, while additional beds have been arranged in corridors, balconies and open spaces. Even critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) sometimes have to receive treatment on the floor.
The director said 978 additional beds had been arranged in open spaces to improve patient management.
With two to three attendants accompanying each patient, around 10,000 people are present at the hospital daily, disrupting movement and the treatment environment.
Medicine shortages, broken lifts add to woes
Patients are also facing shortages of essential medicines and diagnostic supplies. X-ray films and medicines required for thyroid tests are unavailable, while CT scans have remained suspended due to a lack of necessary supplies despite the machine being operational.
Medicines for cancer and other complex diseases have also been in short supply for a long time, while some major surgeries cannot be performed.
Hospital sources said the monthly government allocation is insufficient to cover even 11 days of expenses for the current patient load.
Eight of the hospital’s 13 lifts are also out of order. Five of the nine lifts in the old building and three of the four in the new building are non-functional, making it difficult to move patients between floors.
Relatives often have to wait for long periods to take critically ill patients on trolleys to different floors.
Munir blamed the Public Works Department (PWD) for delays in repairing the lifts, saying repeated requests had failed to resolve the problem.
However, PWD Sub-divisional Engineer Md Rasheduzzaman said estimates for the repairs had already been sent to the relevant authorities. Work would begin after funding approval and the appointment of a contractor through a tender process.
Hospital revenue falls by half
The director also expressed concern over declining hospital revenue, blaming irregularities among staff and the outsourcing of diagnostic tests that could be conducted in-house.
He said the hospital should conduct tests on around 1,100 patients daily but currently manages only 500, despite having a target of 2,000.
As a result, hospital revenue has fallen by half compared with the previous year, he added.
Munir said he had taken several initiatives to restore discipline, including arranging additional beds and reorganising wards, but a lack of cooperation had hindered progress.