That in just 11 days, thirty‑three children died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) while waiting for ICU beds this month, should shake our entire nation to the core.
This is the shocking state of our health system, and the biggest issue is that such a national failure has been normalized to the point of silence.
Physicians themselves admit that many of these children could have survived had ICU support been available, yet we have become so accustomed to medical negligence and lack of capacity that even such catastrophic news fails to spark the outrage it should.
RMCH has only 12 pediatric ICU beds under special arrangements, despite demand from across Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, and even Dhaka. That a 60‑bed ICU complex and a 200‑bed children’s hospital have already been built, but remain idle due to lack of government approval and staffing, only adds another infuriating layer of incompetence to this predicament.
When children die preventable deaths in infancy because hospitals are ill‑equipped, it is not merely an individual loss but a collective indictment of our national priorities.
Nothing is more important than ensuring healthier lives for our citizens, and nothing is more urgent than protecting the most vulnerable among us.
This tragedy must be a wake‑up call. The government cannot continue to respond with platitudes or piecemeal fixes. We know what needs to be done, starting with truly caring about public healthcare and showing that in the national budget. Investment in infrastructure, staffing, training, and accountability mechanisms are all needed to punish negligence and build capacity.
Health care must be treated as a fundamental right, not an afterthought. Bangladesh can make all the strides in development, but those achievements ring hollow when children die waiting for care.