Caesarean stops as lone anaesthetist transferred

Pregnant women requiring Caesarean for safe delivery are badly suffering as the lone anaesthetist at the 50-bed hospital in Kalapara upazila was transferred around two months ago.
Besides, 29 out of 36 doctors' posts are lying vacant there, affecting overall treatment there for long, hospital sources said.
Amid the situation, four women gave birth to dead children at the hospital within three weeks in last month.
Expecting mothers from Kalapara upazila have to go to other areas including 52 km away Patuakhali General Hospital and 90 km away Barisal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital for Caesarean.
Caesarean at the Kalapara upazila hospital remained suspended since March 11 this year as Dr Abdul Motin, the lone anaesthetist of the hospital, was transferred to another place on promotion, hospital sources said.
In March 139 pregnant women were admitted to the hospital and 35 of them gave birth through Caesarean till March 11.
In one year from February 2013 to February 2014, a total of 475 women gave birth to their children through Caesarean at the hospital and the number in last two months January and February was 177, hospital sources said.
As many as 144 pregnant women were admitted to the hospital from April 1 to May 6 this year and four of them -- Morium Begum, Renu Begum, Rima Begum and Alpona Begum, all from different villages under Kalapara upazila, gave birth to dead children from April 6 to April 27, the sources added.
"I believe I would give birth to a live child if I had the opportunity of timely Caesarean at the hospital. We are too poor to go to Patuakhali or Barisal for the purpose," said Morium Begum of Chakamoiya village in Kalapara upazila.
"Now we cannot arrange Caesarean section due to lack of an anaesthetist although we have an operation theatre with modern equipment. We have already sent several letters and also verbally requested the higher authorities to immediately post an anaesthetist at the hospital," said Dr Abdur Rahim, Kalapara upazila health officer.