Doctors are working to restore and expand healthcare services at the Radda MCH-FP Centre, a private mother and child health facility in Mirpur-1, Dhaka, despite the centre having been demolished. Renovation work is also under way at its vaccination unit.
During a visit to the centre on Thursday, this correspondent found that the damaged boundary walls had been rebuilt and painted, with a new gate installed. One of the damaged rooms had also been cleaned and renovated.
Health workers had arranged tables and chairs in one room, while eight to 10 chairs were placed on the two verandas for mothers and children waiting for vaccination.
However, the absence of fans left patients struggling in the heat, with several children seen crying.
Debris, including broken concrete and bricks, had been cleared from several rooms. Doctors and health workers were providing services in two rooms, while renovation work continued in others.
A vaccination banner was visible at the entrance, where children were weighed and their vaccination cards filled out before being taken inside for services.
Dr Ripa Das, a physician at the centre, told Dhaka Tribune that vaccination services were fully operational, although all facilities had not yet been restored.
“Ultrasonogram services have not resumed, and we do not have a laboratory yet,” she said.
She added that the centre, which has been serving patients for around 50 years, receives a large number of patients.
“We hope to resume ultrasound services in November. We are also trying to complete the remaining renovation work as quickly as possible,” she said.
Radda Executive Director Dr Nasrin Akhter told Dhaka Tribune: “We are very grateful to the media for standing by us during that difficult time.”
She also thanked State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque for providing financial assistance.
Renovation work is continuing, she said, expressing hope that the centre would soon be able to restore healthcare services for mothers and children on the scale required.
Ultrasonogram closed, no lab: What patients say
Child vaccination began at around 10:30am in one of the centre's damaged rooms. After the demolition, vaccination services had been provided under a roadside tarpaulin outside the facility. They have now moved back inside.
Samanta Begum, a resident of Mirpur, brought her eight-month-old daughter, Ayat, for vaccination.
“I have been bringing Ayat here for vaccination since birth. Her father was also vaccinated here. I was very worried when I heard that the hospital had been demolished. I wondered where I would get my baby vaccinated. We are relieved that the hospital has not closed. The services here are very good,” she told Dhaka Tribune.
Nijhum Akhter brought her six-month-old son, Sadat, for a measles vaccine.
“Child vaccination and family planning services are available, but the ultrasonogram and laboratory facilities destroyed during the demolition have not yet been restored,” she said.
She added that the centre previously offered ultrasound services at a nominal cost, making them accessible to low-income families.
“I hope the government will look into the matter and take steps to restore these services,” she said.
Dr Tania Nowrin Jui, a physician at the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital, also visited the centre to have her child vaccinated.
“The services here are very good. We live in Mirpur, and both my baby and I received vaccinations here when I was a child,” she told Dhaka Tribune.
Vaccination programme and family planning
Nur-Mohammad, who is in charge of the centre's vaccination unit, told Dhaka Tribune that around 250 mothers and children receive services there every day, compared with approximately 350 before the demolition.
Alongside Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) services, the centre is also providing measles vaccinations.
“Once the renovation work is complete, we will be able to serve more patients. For now, we are collecting samples and sending them to other laboratories for testing,” he said.
