Bhuapur Health Complex

18 doctors' posts out of 20 vacant for months

29 July 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Tangail

Treatment at Bhuapur Upazila Health Complex in the district is badly hampered as 18 of the 20 posts of doctors in the 50-bed hospital have remained vacant for months. Now junior consultants Dr Sohel-al-Mujahid and Dr Fariduzzaman are working as regular doctors at the health complex where Dr Zakaria Mahmud, earlier working at a sub-health centre in the upazila, has been given charge as acting resident medical officer. Dr Zakaria and Dr Mujahid are struggling hard to cope with a number of emergency, outdoor and admitted patients of the health complex as Dr Fariduzzaman cannot perform his duties properly due to his illness. Construction of necessary infrastructures were completed in January 2008 to upgrade the 31-bed Bhuapur Upazila Health Complex to a 50-bed one and the upgrading became effective following an order by Health Directorate in March this year. But it was done without appointing necessary manpower including doctors, sources said. Moreover, seven of the nine doctors of the hospital were transferred just after upgrading the hospital as a 50-bed one. “Due to shortage of doctors at the upazila health complex, we have to refer most of the patients to Tangail General Hospital,” said Dr Zakaria. The operation theatre of the upazila hospital is equipped with all modern facilities but it cannot start function due to lack of necessary doctors and anaesthetists, he said. When contacted, Bhuapur Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Lutfar Rahman said, “The upazila health complex did not get necessary doctors so far despite applications to different directorates. We also informed local lawmaker about the problem.”