Staff Crisis Hampers Free Healthcare for 6 Lakh People at Chauddagram Upazila Health Complex
Md Belal Hossain, Chauddagram (Cumilla)
The 50-bed Chauddagram Upazila Health Complex is the only place where around six lakh people of the upazila’s 13 unions and one municipality can receive free healthcare. The hospital is also relied on for primary care for patients injured in the daily accidents along the 38-kilometre stretch of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, known as the country’s lifeline.
The government hospital, the only one where the upazila’s six lakh people and hundreds of injured highway travellers can receive healthcare, is now facing a severe staff shortage. Many important staff posts at the hospital are vacant. With various needed posts empty, medical care and official work are disrupted. This has made it difficult to run the hospital’s normal operations and to ensure health services at the field level. With essential services disrupted, lakhs of people in the upazila are suffering.
According to hospital sources, three of the four medical officer posts in the emergency department of Chauddagram Upazila Health Complex are filled, with one vacant. Of the hospital’s 11 junior consultant posts, only five are filled, and one of the five medical officer posts is vacant. Two of the four nurses are currently working. Of 30 senior staff nurse posts, only 21 are filled. Only 35 of the 84 health assistant posts are filled. Of eight medical technologist posts, five are filled. Of three posts for office assistant-cum-computer operator, one is filled. One of two aya posts is filled, and one of three cook posts. Of five MLSS posts, only one is filled, and of three security posts, one. One of three ward boy posts is filled, and only one of five cleaning staff posts. Important posts at the hospital have long been vacant, including cashier, head assistant-cum-accountant, storekeeper, statistician, two pharmacist posts, compounder, TB and leprosy, ticket clerk and junior mechanic.
With 18 health assistant posts vacant, problems have arisen in running field-level health activities. Without enough consultants, patients are being deprived of the specialist care they need. A shortage of nurses is hampering proper care of patients in the wards. With too few cleaners, it has become difficult to keep the hospital clean. A lack of security staff has also raised concerns about hospital security, and thefts often occur.
With all pharmacist posts vacant, problems have arisen in distributing medicines and running related activities. With no ticket clerk, official work on tickets is also being obstructed. A shortage of office support staff is likewise disrupting official work and office maintenance. With the health assistant posts vacant, it has become hard to maintain the normal pace of vaccination and other public health activities at the field level.
Dr Rashid Ahmed Chowdhury Tofayel, upazila health and family planning officer, said higher authorities have been informed in writing several times about filling the vacant posts, and letters have also been sent. But because the necessary staff have not been recruited or posted, the crisis is not being resolved. If staff are quickly recruited and posted to the vacant positions, the needed healthcare can be ensured, along with the complex’s normal medical services, proper care of patients, hospital cleanliness and security, and the running of field-level health activities.
