Built in 2013, trauma centre unused
Construction of the trauma centre in Habiganj's Bahubal upazila was completed in 2013 but it is yet to be opened due to lack of electricity and gas connections.
As a result, road crash victims are being deprived of getting medical treatment. Especially serious patients are the worst sufferers.
According to the Health Department, the government launched a project named 'Physical Development' to develop 10 trauma centres on six national highways aiming to provide rapid treatments to those people injured in accidents on highways.
Construction of a 10-bed trauma centre was started near Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Bahubal Upazila Health Complex area spending Tk 3.18 crore. It was scheduled to complete construction work of the three-storey building on October 30, 2012. But it ended at the end of 2013.
In January 2014, the Public Works Department (PWD) sent a letter to the Health Department to accept the building. But the health department did not accept it as there is no gas and electricity connection.
On March 22 in 2013, Habiganj Palli Biddut Samity sent a demand note to PWD to pay Tk 48,120 for electricity connection.
Habiganj PWD then received the demand note and deposited the money. It then sent two letters to Habitant Palli Biddut Samity for the power connection on May 26 in 2014 and January 29 in 2015 respectively.
But Palli Biddut Samity later demanded an additional Tk 6 lakh for power connection, said an official of Habiganj PWD, wishing anonymity.
Afterwards, they did not make any progress in this regard except informing the higher authorities, he said.
Meanwhile, on June 23 in 2013, the then executive engineer of PWD wrote a letter to the Jalalabad Gas Company asking for a demand note for gas connection. Since then, all sorts of new gas connections have been suspended across the country. As a result, the gas connection to the trauma centre has become uncertain.
Sherpur Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ershadul Hoque Bhuiyan said a number of people, who faced road accidents on Dhaka-Sylhet highway in the previous years, died for not getting treatment.
If any accident occurred on the highway, it took more than one hour to reach Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. Some injured people died on the way due to delay in reaching the Hospital.
If the trauma centre is operational, the people on the highway will receive immediate medical treatment, said the OC, adding that so it is very important to open the centre as soon as possible.
Tofazzal Sohel, coordinator of Sankhubdo Nagorik Andolon Habiganj unit, said windows and inner instruments of the building are getting damaged due to negligence.
Habiganj Deputy Civil surgeon Dr Mukhlesur Rahman said the centre is yet to become operational as there is no gas and electricity connection.