By Md. Enamul
 
PATUAKHALI, Jan 5, 2025 (BSS)-The 50-bed Kalapara Upzila Health Complex under Patuakhali district has been plagued with various crises which led to a severe disruption to the medical services.
 
Patients coming to the hospital are being deprived of proper medical services and the admitted patients to the hospital are making numerous complaints about quality of food, cleanliness and hygiene.
 
It has been seen on the spot that on an average of 300-350 patients coming to the outdoor of the health complex every day for medical services. Only three-four doctors working in the hospital cannot provide required medical services to this number of patients.
 
Patients are being forced to receive medical services at the chambers of the physicians instead of the hospital due to insufficiency of doctors. As a result, the sufferings of poor and helpless patients are endless. Similarly, the pressure of the admitted patients is also very high.
 
The number of admitted patients is more than the beds. There are only 11 doctors working in the upazila headquarters, including Kuakata and Mahipur.
 
The upazila health administrator has to be busy with various administrative tasks most of the time. Out of these, one doctor is on deputation to Patuakhali. However, there are 36 physicians' posts in the upazila.
 
In Kalapara upazila headquarters, only four doctors are handling the medical services of 300-350 patients daily in the outdoor department. So that it is not possible to give appropriate time to the patients.
 
Due to the shortage of doctors, it is difficult to manage the emergency department. Similarly, 76 posts of employees are also vacant. The problem seems to be endless.
 
JH Khan Lelin, Resident Medical Officer of Kalapara Upazila Health Complex, said that in addition to Kalapara Upazila, numerous patients from neighboring Amtoli, Taltoli, and Rangabali Upazilas are constantly receiving medical services in this hospital.
 
“The shortage of physicians needs to be resolved. And the contractor has been warned many times about the quality of food. Action will be taken soon," he said.
 
Cleaning work has to be done with outsourced manpower. It is known that the hospital has the opportunity to conduct numerous tests including typhoid, hepatitis B-C, pregnancy, kidney, jaundice, sickle, AIDS virus, X-ray, diabetic at a low cost.
 
But patients complain that some doctors send them to their own preferred clinics for tests. However, patients get several medicines free of cost. But since June last year, patients are being deprived of medical services as the contractor has not supplied some essential medicines for pathological tests.
 
There are complaints from patients about the cleanliness of the hospital's bathrooms and toilets. Some nurses, nannies, and cleaners have been heard of misbehaving with patients.
 
There have been widespread complaints about the quality of food served to the patients. A patient admitted to the women's ward said that she was admitted four days ago. She is getting some medicines from the hospital. She also has to buy some from outside.
 
She also said that she was given bread and a banana in the morning. A boiled egg cooked with potatoes is given at night and noon. This is how it goes most days.