BANDARBAN, Dec 9, 2024 (BSS) – Health services in Thanchi, one remote upazila in the hill district, remain in an awful condition due to acute shortage of doctors, medicines and medical instrument.

To ensure medical services for the remote people, Thanchi Health Complex started its journey in 1977, which was upgraded to 31 beds in 1998.

Administrative work and indoor treatments in the health complex are badly hampered as the posts of medical officers have remained vacant for a long.

Although the hospital was upgraded to 50 beds in 2019, the manpower has not been increased proportionately. As a result, treatment facilities for a large number of patients who flock from different unions at the health complex every day are not provided.

The hospital is struggling to provide health services to the poor patients due mainly to lack of physicians the health facility is being run by a single doctor. 

Two of the four medical officers are on deputation at Bandarban Sadar Hospital, and another is on leave. As a result, only one doctor is currently working in the hospital. 

According to hospital sources, medical services for complicated diseases are being disrupted heavily due to the lack of important equipment such as OT and pathology, X-ray machines, biochemistry analyzers, and ultrasonogram machines.

The hospital has only ECG, nebulizers, and oxygen cylinders. It is also known that a specialist doctor was supposed to join the health complex, but he has not come yet.

Patients are not getting the desired healthcare and they complain that children who are coming to the hospital with cold-related diseases are not getting treatment as there is no pediatrician. 

If anyone’s condition deteriorates, he/she is referred to Bandarban Sadar for treatment.

“They do not have the financial capacity. It is very difficult for them to get treatment in government and private hospitals in Bandarban Sadar,” said a local guardian. 

Youngrao Mro, 33, who was injured in a road accident, said, “I received injuries in my leg in a motorcycle accident. I was referred to Bandarban because Thanchi hospital did not have an X-ray machine.” 

Renhai Mro, who came for treatment at the hospital, said, “There is one doctor and the hospital does not have important equipment. We are forced to go to Bandarban Sadar for treatment but many of us cannot afford the costs.” 

Senior nurse Lalsangpar Bam of the upazila health complex said there is pressure of patients in the hospital. Numerous patients are coming to the hospital every day with fever, stomach ache, viruses and pneumonia but there is no adequate equipment for testing. 

“We have to go to the district headquarters for medical tests,” Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Md. Wahiddujaman Murad said, adding, "We have sent written requests to the senior officer concerned to solve various problems of the health complex. Despite our repeated requests, no solution has been found yet."

He also said that an allocation was supposed to be made from the Upazila Parishad to purchase important equipment to ensure medical services to the patients but there is no news about it. 

Bandarban Civil Surgeon Dr. Mahabub Rahman said, “The issue of manpower shortage, especially doctors, has been informed to the higher authorities. Two doctors from Thanchi have been brought to the district headquarters on deputation. For now, one doctor has been transferred from the Directorate General of Health Services, Dhaka for Thanchi who is expected to join the Upazila Health Complex soon. Hopefully, the suffering of the patients will be alleviated to some extent.”