Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College (SZMC) Hospital in Bogura, which serves people from five districts, keeps gaining beds on paper but no more doctors, nurses, staff or buildings. It opened in 2006 with 500 beds and 1,342 posts: 238 doctors, 532 nurses and 536 other staff. Since then 190 posts have fallen vacant through transfers and retirements.
In 2021 the health ministry raised the hospital to 1,200 beds without adding staff or a new building. A letter dated 16 September proposes another 600 beds, taking it to 1,800, again with no instruction to recruit. The hospital's register showed 2,534 patients admitted across 42 departments on 19 September, with many on verandas and floors.
Samakal gave the figures department by department. Medicine had 977 patients on 210 beds, with 16 doctors where at least 56 are needed and 17 nurses against 64. Gynaecology had 436 patients on 120 beds and paediatrics 432 on 160, including 12 measles patients in a four-bed room. Surgery had 438 patients on 160 beds and a single ward boy. The one cleaner for five units said a bathroom built for 20 people is used by at least 200.
About 3,000 people come to the outpatient department each day; 2,974 tickets were sold on 20 September. With three of its 20 doctors on leave on an average day, each sees around 170 patients. Dr ASM Noman said he sees 160 to 170 patients between 8am and 2pm and can give each one two minutes at most.
The pressure is fraying relations. There have been seven violent incidents at the hospital between July 2021 and last September, and intern doctors have staged work stoppages demanding security and more staff. Interns say recruitment in line with beds and a rule of one attendant per patient would ease the tension. Patients complained that they see a doctor or nurse no more than twice a day.
Deputy director Dr Manzur-e-Morshed told Samakal that beds were raised twice but staff were not, that the workers are under heavy strain, and that between the pressure and overbearing relatives they sometimes lose their temper, at times leading to violence.
This report is based on reporting by Samakal's Bogura correspondent.
Photo: Musfiq Munna / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: samakal
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