Pabna mental hospital limps with 12 docs

A patient, taken to Pabna Mental Hospital outdoor yesterday with his hands in fetters, tries to hide his face from the camera.Photo: STAR

When the country is observing World Mental Health Day today, the country's largest specialised hospital for treatment of mental diseases in Pabna struggles to provide treatment for its patients.
Emphasising the need for increasing allocation in the sector, 'The Great Push: Investing in Mental Health' has been taken as this year's slogan on the day.
Only 12 doctors are working in the 500-bed Pabna Mental Hospital that has 319 working staff against 504 posts, hospital sources said.
At present 428 admitted patients are under treatment at the hospital. Besides, 80 to 100 patients take treatment from the 'outdoor' department daily.
Surprisingly though, many cured patients have to be kept at the hospital as their family members discontinued contact after managing their admission by giving false addresses, said Abdul Bari, ward master of Pabna Mental Hospital.
"Shabuj Das and Mahabub Anwar were admitted to Pabna mental hospital in 1994. But their addresses, mentioned during their admission, were later found false. Their family members left them here to get rid of the trouble when they were affected with mental disorder," he said.
Over 60 patients, who got cured through treatment for years, are still staying at the hospital due to similar reasons, he said.
“Please inform my family members to take me from here,” Mahabub Anwar cried to the journalists.
Abu Khaleque, Khaled Saifullah and many other cured patients echoed the same sentiment.
"When a patient is cured by treatment he needs proper mental support from their family members and society. Due to the lack of mental support most of them return back again," said Dr Dipak Kumar Kumar, the superintendent of Pabna Mental Hospital.
“Mentally disorder patients need soft treatment in family and society. If a mentally disorder patient gets proper behaviors he will be cured easily.” Dr. Nikhil Kumar, the PGT Psychiatry of Pabna mental said.
During a visit to Pabna mental hospital it is found that the new patient is being treated poorly caused more suffering. Md Alhaz, 25, son of Abdur Razzak of Purba Bonogram village in Santhia upazila under the district, was taken to Pabna Mental Hospital in chains.
"I was an income generating person a month ago. But suddenly I suffered from a fever then turned violent within before the Eid ul Fitre," Razzak said.
Many other patients were found waiting in front of Pabna Mental Hospital outdoor.
“We are trying to provide the best services although we are suffering from doctors, nurses and staffs crises,” Dr Dipak, the superintendent said.