The government hospitals and healthcare centres in Khulna division are struggling to provide services to the thousands of people due to manpower shortage, low budget allocation and lack of necessary equipment.
According to sources, there are about 2,445 vacant positions in the main healthcare centres in 10 districts of the division.
Moreover, the specialised burn unit, modern ICU, cancer treatment centre and such other initiatives in various hospitals fell flat because of lack of manpower and equipment. In addition, the centres that are running are also not able to provide their best service due to low fund allocation against the high number of patients.
In this circumstance, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim is again on a visit to the division within a span of 10 months. During his last visit, he promised to upgrade Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) to a 1,000 bed one and allocate Tk5 crore to buy equipment.
However, the promises have not been fulfilled yet and the locals again raised their demands during this second visit of the minister.
Some of the demands put forward by the KMCH authorities are upgradation, recruiting manpower, buying equipment for the burn unit, ICU and radiotherapy, opening new departments of respiratory and psychiatry, and modernisation of existing departments.
Sheikh Abu Naser Specialised Hospital of Khulna city’s Gowalkhali area is also in dire condition. The 75-bed hospital is faced with huge pressure of patients against its limited resources. The burn unit and ICU of the hospital is not operational in five years since inauguration.
Moreover, the chest disease hospital in Khulna is run in a tin-shed building. It is also facing manpower and equipment crisis.
Concerns were raised by the 50-bed hospitals of Dighaliya, Terokhada, Dumuria, Paikgachha and Koyra as well.
Dr Md Abdus Samad, in-charge of KMCH said the visiting health minister would be informed about the demands of the hospital. He said the hospital, which is now run with only 382 personnel, needed at least 1600 to operate properly.
Khulna’s Civil Surgeon Dr Md Yasin Ali Sardar said: “The Khulna General Hospital needs to be upgraded to a 250-bed one. It also needed repair and construction of new buildings.”
President of Greater Khulna Unnayan Sangram Somonnoy Commitee Sheikh Ashraf-uz-Zaman said if the cancer unit of KMCH were fully functional, patients from Khulna would not need to go to Dhaka for cancer treatment. He urged quick implementation of the project.
The Health Minister is scheduled to visit Sheikh Abu Naser Specialised Hospital and Khulna Medical College Hospital during his Khulna tour. Later, he will hold a meeting with prominent doctors and leaders of Bangladesh Medical Association.
Health Director of Khulna Dr Anil Chandra Dutt said they would put forward all the demands to the minister. He was hopeful of quick solution to the problems facing the hospitals and healthcare centres.
