Mahanagar Hospital: Surgery dept closed for 6yrs, ICU inactive, 50% doctor posts vacant
The Dhaka Mahanagar General Hospital is located at Naya Bazar, near the Babubazar Bridge. Its outdoor department is always crowded with patients, many of whom go there for Covid vaccines these days.
But the hospital's insides tell a different tale. For six years, the surgery department of the Dhaka South City Corporation-run hospital has remained closed. With its 50 beds gone, the 150-bed hospital is virtually a 100-bed facility now.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Meanwhile, at the early phases of the pandemic, the Covid-dedicated hospital was given ICU beds by the health directorate. But due to a shortage of physicians and other staff, it could not be started.
Moreover, almost half of the hospital's doctors' posts are empty.
DOCTORS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND
During a recent visit, this correspondent spoke to visiting patient Akmal Mia, a resident of Tipu Sultan Road. "We're poor, so we can't go see doctors at bigger hospitals, which is why we come here," he said. "But the number of doctors here is very low, so it takes a long time to see one."
Armanitola's Salma Khatun echoed the same. "I'm sitting here for a long time. People are telling me it's taking this long because there are a lot of patients but not nearly enough doctors at the hospital."
Attendants also complained about a lot of things. One of them, Iqbal Hossain, said, "My brother is admitted here, but we can never find a doctor around. They come once in the morning, but then disappear for the rest of the day."
WHAT HAPPENED TO SURGERY DEPT?
Fifty beds for medicine, 50 for gynecology and 50 for surgery -- these make up the 150 beds of the Mahanagar hospital.
But since 2015, the 50-bed surgery department has remained closed. Hospital sources said as soon as Dr Tasfira Hossain -- who was assigned here from the health directorate -- left, the surgery department has been inactive.
However, surgery is ongoing in its gynecological department, according to sources. For example, in July last year, more than 200 surgeries, minor and major, were carried out by the department. According to DSCC's health department, in 2020-21, the hospital undertook 34 cesarean and 45 minor operations.
ICU NON-OPERATIONAL EVEN AFTER 16YRS
To treat Covid patients, the hospital got five of its own Intensive Care Units (ICU) in October 2020. Then in April last year, it got 15 High Dependency Units (HDU).
However, either of them are yet to start operation.
Hospital authorities say they have requisitioned for necessary staffers for the ICUs and HDUs repeatedly, but to no avail. From last March to July 6, they have sent letters to the health ministry and directorate four times, but this has not materialised yet.
Contacted, director (hospital and clinic) of health directorate Farid Hossain Miah said, "We couldn't launch them due to a shortage of staffers. However, if an emergency arises, we will operationalise the ICUs by employing necessary human resources."
HALF THE DOCTORS MISSING
The hospital is also suffering from a massive staff crisis. Though it's supposed to have 31 doctors, 15 of those posts are currently vacant. Moreover, five of the active doctors are only here on a temporary basis.
But since all of these doctors are working at the outdoor department, patients admitted to the hospital aren't getting their due treatment.
Hospital Director Dr Shameem Al Mamun said, "With such a staff crisis, it's no wonder that we can't deliver our services well enough," mentioning that they have issued a circular to recruit new nurses and are in talks with the city corporation regarding recruiting new doctors.
Asked about the ICU, he said the health directorate was supposed to initiate it. "They gave us equipment, but didn't recruit staffers for it."
"On the other hand, our organogram does not have provisions for recruiting ICU staff, so we can't start it ourselves."
Comments