Shortages of doctors in the 250-bed general hospital has been struggling to treat children both at its indoors and outdoors departments in Gopalganj.
An influx of child in-patients and out-patients has made it more difficult.
At least 250 child out-patients come to the hospital while its 35-bed child in-patients ward remains crowded with patients every day.
A total of 85 patients were admitted to the hospital’s child in-patient ward on Sunday.
There are three doctors now engaged in the children’s ward. One of them a pediatrician, but he has recently been transferred to Sheikh Sahera Khatun Medical College.
The posts of a senior pediatrician, an indoor medical and a registrar also have long been vacant, but authorities still do not seem to be in a hurry to fill the vacancies.
Physician Amrita Lal Biswas, who treats children at the hospital, attributed the change to the spurt of child patients in the district.
The children were mainly being affected with pneumonia, bronchitis and birth asphyxia, he said.
A man named Mrinmoy Majumder, who hails from Bhandarkhola village in the district’s Mollahat upazila, said he was standing in a long queue with his child for a few hours but was yet to reach the outdoor doctor.
On seeing such a long line, many parents and guardians had left the hospital soon after coming here. More doctors should be assigned to this outdoor unit, he said.
