Cumilla hospital limps on

Cumilla Medical College Hospital is unable to provide necessary medical services to patients due to a lack of manpower and equipment, causing sufferings to low-income people who largely depend on this public hospital.

Residents of 17 upazilas of the district and that of Chandpur and Brahmanbaria come to the hospital to avail of basic medicare at a low cost.

During a recent visit to the hospital, the news agency found that two medical warmers out of three have been out of order for a long time while the authorities concerned are struggling to provide services with two phototherapy machines at its pediatric department.

There are four Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) at the hospital but all of those are non-functional.

Shahnaz Begum, in-charge of the pediatric department, said premature newborns, infants with low birth weights and babies with respiratory problems are admitted to the department.

But they often struggle to provide necessary services with insufficient equipment, she added.

Besides, the washrooms at the hospital are not cleaned properly due to a lack of cleaners, posing health risk to patients and others. There is also a crisis of safe water, said patients and attendees, adding that they are often forced to drink water from the tap, which is dirty and smelly.

There is only one elevator available at the emergency unit and it goes out of order most of the times for lack of maintenance. Often times, people get stuck inside, said attendees.

Roksana Akhter, relative of a patient, said, “I came to the hospital with a baby suffering from respiratory problems but the hospital authorities could not admit the child for lack of a warmer.”

Manwar Hossain Rubel, a patient, said, “There’s no equipment to provide life support to critical patients, even though thousands throng this hospital for treatment.”

Dr Mohammad Azizul Hossain, chief of pediatric department, said, “The number of patients with cold-related illness has increased in winter and some 7-8 children are born at the hospital every day. But we’re struggling to provide healthcare services as we do not have necessary equipment.”

When asked if they have taken any step in this regard, he said, “We’re trying to get some necessary machineries.”

Dr Amin Ahmed Khan, director of the hospital, said there are 629 staff members against 709 posts at the hospital. Seventy-nine posts have been lying vacant for a long time, he added.

“We’re contacting the higher authorities to come up with a solution in this regard. We’re also taking initiatives to set up an ICU at the hospital soon,” the director said.