An acute scarcity of doctors have left the public health service in shambles in the Barisal division.
It has been learnt that out of 1283, 624 posts of doctors in the 95 public hospitals and clinics across the division have been lying vacant for long.
According to estimation, one physician has to serve about 19,000 people on average in the division having a population of more than 125 crore.
Sources at the Barisal divisional health directorate office said in the six districts and 42 upazilas, about 48 percent of the posts for doctors were vacant till filing of this report.
They said 156 out of 454 posts in Barisal, 155 out of 236 posts in Patuakhali, 140 out of 198 posts in Bhola, 98 out of 157 posts in Pirojpur, 33 out of 136 posts in Barguna, 42 out of 102 posts in Jhalakathi were vacant.
The rural poor are falling the worst victims of the present sitation as they do not have the ability to afford health services from the private sector.
Due to shortage of doctors at the upazila level health centers, patients are opting for district or divisional level hospitals, said Anowar Zahid, district coordinator of Health Rights Movement.
He alleged that a large number of doctors at the upazila level do not stay there after afternoon and on weekends.
Almost all the ambulances of government hospitals have been out of order for long now, said Dr Habibur Rahman, president of District Health Right Movement.
The division has one medical college hospital and 41 upazila health complexes, according to Dr Md Shamsul Huq, divisional health director.
Besides, 70 sub-health centers and 267 union health and family planning centers providing minimal medical services to people, are also running with inadequate number of health workers and nurses, alleged the locals.
Dr Md Shamsul Huq hoped that posting of the newly-passed BCS doctors would mitigate the crisis.
