Appalling state of health care

TWO separate incidents, one in a government medical college hospital and the other in a private hospital, drive home the message that our healthcare service is in utter disarray. In Thakurgaon, a hospital manager performed surgery and in Rajshahi, a ward boy carried out a surgical procedure. The former incident ended in utter tragedy with the loss of a child, while the latter prompted a summons from the High Court. We are aghast at the state of affairs. What both incidents go to highlight is the utter indifference of hospital authorities on the subject of closely monitoring operation theaters in the country, private or public.
Not only does it illustrate the absence of any modicum of administrative control in health institutions, it also goes to underscore the need for hospitals to have sufficient number of qualified doctors to be on call when surgery needs arise. Looking beyond the availability of competent doctors, these incidents show serious security lapse, i.e. a total breakdown of monitoring with regards to precisely which individuals have access to critical areas in a medical institution. These are serious questions that the concerned ministry needs to answer. In a country where the rural populace already suffer from lack of adequate healthcare, the last thing that is needed is to put more salt to injury as these incidents come to light. We strongly demand that an overall review of the public healthcare system be done immediately to ensure that people get the quality treatment they deserve.