Kachua Upazila in Bagerhat: Services scanty at community clinics
Several community clinics in Bagerhat’s Kachua upazila are failing to provide required services to treatment seekers due to various problems like shortage of doctors, medicines, diagnostic equipment, pure water and overall infrastructural facilities.
Visiting Tengrakhali, Malipatan, Pingaria, Charkathi, Bilkul and Baroikhali community clinics in the upazila, this correspondent found that presently a community healthcare provider (CHCP), a health assistant and a family welfare assistant are posted to provide healthcare services at each clinic.
The CHCP is supposed to attend the clinic from 9:00am to 3:00pm six days a week while the two others are assigned to work three days a week at the clinic, and make field visits for three more days to attend patients but there are allegations of negligence in the discharge of their duties.
Surprisingly, there is no doctor or nurse at the clinics.
Bina Rani Das, CHCP of Charkathi, said after doing MA in Bangla, she took a three-month training from Kachua Upazila Health Complex and started serving there in 2011.
“Generally, we provide treatments for cold, cough, flu, aches, cuts, burns and gastric problems, supply birth control pills and condoms, and arrange measurement of weight and blood pressure.
“The stock of medicines supplied here for one-and-a-half month period is hardly enough for a month. The glucometre is damaged. The clinic building is a bad condition and the tube-well, the only source of drinking water, is out of order,” she said.
The CHCP at Tengrakhali Raisul Islam said they have to serve about 40 patients daily as people from around three and a half square kilometre area come to the treatment centre.
But the supplied medicine is not sufficient and there is no supply of drinking water, he said.
During this correspondent’s visit to Malipatan community clinic, several locals seeking anonymity alleged that the clinic often remains closed as CHCP Molina Rani Biswas does not attend there regularly.
Contacted, the CHPC refuted the allegation and said there is no management committee for the clinic.
Several treatment seekers including Sheila Rani Saha, 42, Sumitra Saha, 40, Trishna Saha, 13, Jobeda Begum, 70, Sheuli Saha, 30, Amena, 80, said they come to the clinic for treatment of common health problems as going to the upazila health complex would require much time and money.
Under the supervision of Bangladesh government, Platform for Dialogue (P4D) programme, implemented by the British Council and funded by the European Union, is conducting small projects to improve the quality of services of community clinics in Kachua upazila.
Bagerhat district facilitator of P4D Gopi Nath Saha said, “Under the Social Action Project work, we arrange meetings with community clinic management committees, discussions with government representatives, and awareness campaigns like human chains, rallies, dialogues with stakeholders, conveying messages through posters, to improve service quality.”
“There should be better monitoring with functional management committees to ensure satisfactory services by the community clinic staff,” he added.
Contacted, Kachua Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Md Manjurul Alam said, “I have informed the Heath Engineering Department about the bad condition of the community clinics. I also informed the project office about the requirement of medicines and medical equipment.”
“Despite limitations, 11 the 12 community clinics in the upazila are trying to deliver the best. We will take steps regarding Malipatan clinic as there are allegation of irregularity against the CHCP,” he added.
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