Eight Years on, Four of Jhenaidah’s Mother and Child Welfare Centres Remain Non-Operational

The buildings are modern and well-equipped, with expensive medical equipment, beds and generators arranged inside. Dormitories for health workers are also ready. However, the posts for doctors have remained vacant for years.

Four 10-bed maternal and child welfare centres in Jhenaidah have failed to provide full services even eight years after their inauguration due to a shortage of doctors. As a result, government infrastructure worth crores of taka is deteriorating without being used properly. Meanwhile, underprivileged pregnant women and children in remote areas continue to suffer from a lack of access to medical care.

According to available information, the centres were built in the villages of Dudhshar and Kancherkol in Shailkupa upazila, South Kashtasagara in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila, and the Kaliganj municipality area. The aim was to bring maternal and child healthcare services to the doorsteps of rural people.

The centres were officially inaugurated in 2018. However, the initiative has failed to achieve its intended goals because of the lack of doctors. As a result, poor families in remote areas have to travel to distant hospitals in district or upazila towns, spending extra time and money to receive emergency maternity care or undergo Caesarean sections.

Rafiqul Islam, a resident of Kaliganj who has been affected by the situation, expressed his frustration, saying that buildings and infrastructure had been constructed at a cost of crores of taka, but the facilities remained locked or barely operational due to a shortage of doctors and other staff. Local residents have strongly demanded the prompt recruitment of doctors and necessary personnel to reduce the suffering of poor people.

Mohammad Mozammel Karim, deputy director of the Jhenaidah Family Planning Office, said on Wednesday afternoon that there were plans to keep the centres operational on a regular basis. However, to address the staffing shortage, the authorities had been asked to appoint two new doctors at each centre. He expressed hope that completing the recruitment process soon would significantly improve healthcare services in the underserved areas.