Service at railway dispensaries continues to deteriorate
Mymensingh Railway Station dispensary building has been in an awful state for over five years, and only one doctor attends six dispensaries in different districts every day due to shortage of doctors.
During a visit there recently, this correspondent saw the shabby condition of the two-storey building of the dispensary.
Quite a few cracks have developed in the century-old building and rainwater seeps through the damaged roof, disrupting the activities of the dispensary. In the rainy season, stored medicines often get damaged due to dampness.
In the absence of any boundary wall, unwanted people, including drug addicts, can easily enter the premises at night, making the staff working there feel insecure, locals said.
Only one doctor has been attending six Bangladesh Railway (BR) dispensaries in Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Kishoreganj and Habiganj districts for the last five years.
“I have to perform duty in Dhaka. I attend Mymensingh Railway Station dispensary on Monday, Kewatkhali dispensary in Mymensingh on Tuesday, Jamalpur Railway Station dispensary on Wednesday and Dewanganj Railway Station dispensary in Jamalpur on Thursday. I also have to visit dispensaries at Bhairab in Kishoreganj and Shaestaganj in Habiganj occasionally. I return to Dhaka the same day from all the dispensaries,” said Assistant Surgeon Dr Ayubur Rahman Khan, who is assigned for the dispensaries.
On average, 40 patients come to the BR dispensary at Mymensingh station daily, and the number rises every Monday, the day scheduled for the lone doctor's attendance there. The logistic support is also too scanty for the number of treatment seekers, said Ahsan Ullah, a pharmacist of the dispensary.
Dr Khan said doctors are not interested in joining railway dispensaries as they have to continue as non-gazetted officers almost throughout the service period, and they hardly have any opportunities for higher studies.
“I have been serving in the medical department for 27 years in the same post,” lamented Dr Khan.
He said the medical department is badly neglected and young doctors are reluctant to join there. “In the British and Pakistan periods and soon after independence, the service at the dispensaries was much better, but it has been very poor in the last two decades,” he added.
Ten doctors have been recruited and they will join the dispensaries after completion of their four-month training, said Divisional Medical Officer (DMO) of BR Dr Lutfunnahar Begum.
"We sent proposals to the authorities several times for renovation of the dilapidated dispensaries, but no initiative has been taken yet,” the DMO said.
The dispensaries also need recruitment of more doctors and other staff, including pharmacists, and supply of sufficient medicines, she said.
Rafiqul Islam, a member of the security staff of Mymensingh station, said the number of patients at the dispensaries is very thin due to lack of doctors and medicines.
“Railway is one of the most important sectors of the country but its healthcare facilities are very poor,” he said.