Staff shortage hampers healthcare
Patients at Tangail's 250-bed General Hospital have been struggling to receive adequate healthcare services due to an overwhelming number of patients and a shortage of staff, including doctors.
The hospital has been unable to provide necessary care to patients, particularly the poor who come from rural areas, forcing them to seek treatment at private clinics and hospitals, spending a lot more than their budget.
Despite hospital authorities sending letters to the health department, requesting additional staff, the problem still persists.
A total of 14 doctor positions and 73 other posts have remained vacant for a long period, according to the office of the hospital's superintendent.
The lack of adequate staffers has overwhelmed the existing workforce, making it difficult to provide timely care to patients.
The hospital's indoor facilities are housing twice the number of patients it can handle. This has left them without necessary beds and proper care. Patients have alleged that nurses and staff are slow to respond to their needs, causing additional distress and pain.
Those who can afford to are left with no other choice but to avail services at private clinics and hospitals, but the worst sufferers are the poor patients referred from upazila hospitals for more serious conditions.
Hospital authorities have expressed their concerns about the situation, with the resident medical officer Dr Mohammad Lutfar Rahman Azad stating that the establishment is facing the shortage in many departments.
Dr Khandakar Sadequr Rahman, superintendent of the hospital, has confirmed that the hospital is struggling to provide proper services to patients with the existing staff, while 3,000 to 4,000 patients seek treatment at the hospital's outdoor facilities every day.
The hospital has requested the appointment of necessary staffers, including doctors, to fill the vacant positions and alleviate the strain on existing staff.
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