Mitford Hospital makes a difference

Once notorious for its lack of cleanliness and poor services, the country's oldest public hospital Mitford has recently turned itself around as a public hospital that the common people can trust and count on.
The management of the hospital has established an example of how dedication, proper planning and managerial skills can help run a hospital like an ideal healthcare centre for the masses.
Mitford Hospital, established in 1820, is now miles apart from the country's other public hospitals where patients continuously complain of shortage of drugs, low quality food and inadequate pathological test facilities.
Patients seeking treatment at the hospital say that they have been receiving most of the drugs free of cost and are also able to get pathological tests done at low costs compared to laboratories outside.
Shila Baroi, from Keraniganj, says that she has been using this hospital's health services for the last ten years, and she has noticed an immense change here in the past one year.
"My five year old son suffering from typhoid was admitted here for 13 days last month. Not only did I get all necessary drugs free of cost, but the food served to him was also very good. I couldn't have expected this a few years ago," she said.
She also said that no one harassed her to get the pathological tests done at their private clinics.
Like Shila, most of the patients seeking treatment from Keraniganj, Islampur, Sadarghat and other nearby areas of old Dhaka expressed satisfaction over the changes in the hospital's services.
Amongst many allegations once against the hospital, was the fact that certain doctors would encourage patients to seek treatment elsewhere, or get their pathological tests done at nearby private centres.
The attendance of doctors at the hospital was so poor that most patients had to rush to the many private clinics set up nearby to find a doctor to attend to them.
Another complaint against the hospital was its unclean environment.
But things changed about a year and a half ago when a new director joined Mitford. Under his guidance, the management was woken up to a regular round of duties performed meticulously by the same members of staff.
The number of patients at the 600-bed Mitford has been increasing significantly. Insiders say the bed occupancy rate has reached to almost 130 percent now.
Despite existing laws that dictate that no private clinic be allowed to set up within a 200 yard radius of a public hospital, a large number of private clinics and diagnostic centres had once thrived around the hospital.
A ring of corrupt medical professionals was alleged to involved in luring away the patients from the hospital to those.
But with the about turn in Mitford's services, some private clinics in the area have already been forced to shut down, a local resident said.
At present, around 750 to 800 patients avail indoor treatment from the hospital while around 1500 patients seek treatment from the out patient department of Mitford each day.
The immediate past director of the hospital Brig Gen Shahidul Haque Mallik, who has overseen most of the changes in the hospitals services, said, "We have tried to improve the management of the hospital and create an environment of service."
He said that an acceptable level of medical service is possible even with the government's limited allocation if the management is strict and runs a corruption free office.
At present some 220 types of drugs are supplied free of cost to the patients whereas a year back only 30 to 40 drugs were given for free.
Good management and quality treatment has also lead to more revenue income.
The hospital's income increased to Tk 7.67 lakh in March this year from Tk 5.18 lakh in February 2007. The income crossed Tk 17 lakh in July.
The hospital is also trying to increase the range of its services. It has already opened Morgue services while a CT Scan machine is also available for tests here now. An Intensive Care Unit (ICU) will also be set up soon for critical patients, hospital officials said.
Some 183 doctors and 316 nurses along with 150 intern doctors are engaged at the hospital at present.
"We are trying our best to continue a good service to the people," said the present Director Khademul Ehsan Iqbal.
A good service has given rise to higher expectations from patients. Patients who are referred to Dhaka Medical College for services not available at Mitford hope that these services will soon be available at Mitford.