If you find a doctor, consider yourself lucky

Dhaka South City Corporation has two hospitals and a Matri Sadan under its management. Recent investigations by The Daily Star has brought to the fore their shambolic state. On today's third report, we take a look into NAZIRABAZAR MATRI SADAN

The block lettered sign on the ochre yellow building reads "Nazirabazar Matri Sadan". Right beside it, a large banner reads -- "24-hour normal delivery service for expecting mothers".

Reading these two, one could mistake the medical facility to live up to that billing. But what's written outside the premises has very little to do with what goes on inside. Starting from a lack of physicians to various infrastructural issues, the Matri Sadan actually operates so dysfunctionally that locals are turning away from availing services from it.

The 31-bed hospital was inaugurated on January 27, 2002 by the first elected mayor of Dhaka City Corporation Mohammad Hanif. Earlier on August 25, 1995, its foundation was also laid down by Mayor Hanif.

The hospital is presently situated down a narrow alley in Nazirabazar, beside Bangshal's new road. Traffic jams are a fixture here throughout the day. As a hot-spot for ongoing construction works, the hospital is plagued by the sound of hammer-on-metal all day.

Visiting the hospital on a recent Monday, this correspondent only saw a handful of patients at the outpatient department. They said although it's supposed to stay open till 2:30pm, the department virtually shuts down around 1:00pm or a little later, mostly due to the shortage of doctors.

According to hospital sources, the 31-bed hospital is supposed to have five doctors. However, it currently has three. Moreover, after Dr Nibedita Ruchi Kowshiki died of Covid last September, her spot too has been vacant.

The hospital also suffers from a lack of nurses, only three of whom are employed in place of the five there's supposed to be. One of them is currently on maternity leave, leaving only two on the field.

On the first floor of the six-storey hospital, it was seen that only one nurse was there, while barely any patients could be seen. The floor above houses two wards -- a general ward and a paying bed ward. The same floor also has an "observation ward", while on the fifth floor the hospital's staffers live.

This correspondent spoke to Makimbazar resident Halima Akhter, who said the hospital always has one or the other issue going on. "You can't find doctors here. On your lucky day, you might find a doctor, but then they won't have the medicines. There's even a dearth of medicines for maternity patients."

Wishing anonymity, a staffer of the hospital said the shortage of doctors and nurses is obstructing the hospital's service delivery, alongside the unavailability of medicines. "This is why we can't retain our patients or get new ones," the staffer said.

According to Dhaka South City Corporation's health department data, 8,087 patients took service from the hospital's outpatient department in fiscal year 2020-21. Around 329 patients were treated at the indoor department, while 103 got admitted and treated at the emergency department.

During this period, the Matri Sadan saw 40 cesarean operations, while there were 83 normal deliveries. There were some minor operations too, like apicoectomy, which adds up to 34.

Contacted, DSCC Chief Health Officer Dr Fazle Shamsul Kabir said they are aware of the crisis at the Nazirabazar Matri Sadan and are working to resolve it as soon as possible, in coordination with the health ministry.