Without doctors, what good will extra beds do?

The government’s decision to expand the bed capacity of public hospitals does little to reassure us that patient care will improve when a massive manpower shortage persists in our healthcare system. According to a report by this daily, the health ministry approved the addition of 1,076 beds in nine hospitals between April 25 and May 24 and plans to upgrade all upazila health complexes from their present 50-bed capacity to 101-bed. Such physical capacity expansion without resolving the staffing gap will increase the burden on the already stressed healthcare system and patients will bear the brunt.

Reportedly, the government is also planning to expedite the construction and commissioning of eight cancer hospitals in eight divisional headquarters and establish 20 new hospitals with 1,000-bed capacity, including two 1,500-bed specialised hospitals for women. Indeed, many of our public hospitals often operate beyond their physical capacity, and patients end up being treated on hospital floors and corridors due to a lack of beds. However, the insufficient number of health staff in these hospitals makes providing adequate patient care an additional nightmare.

At present, of the 41,806 sanctioned posts for doctors in public hospitals, 9,407 posts—23 percent—remain vacant. Officials said recruitment of 4,113 doctors through four Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations is currently being processed, while the DGHS has proposed recruiting 5,000 more doctors. Clearly, this number is not sufficient to cover the present demand for physicians, let alone the staffing needs that will follow the planned expansions.

This is not a new problem. Both the Awami League and interim administrations also focused heavily on upgrading the physical capacity of government healthcare facilities. Providing the corresponding manpower expansion remained less of a priority. This leaves the hospital authorities grappling with their already thin resources. The BNP government must not repeat this mistake. This persistent lack of understanding of logistical requirements must be addressed urgently at the policy level.   Undoubtedly, our country needs more public hospitals and more hospital beds. But building physical infrastructure without planning the required manpower is a waste of resources. Right now, the government’s priority should be fulfilling the existing demand for doctors, nurses, and workers and expediting planned recruitments. Beyond that, expansion of public hospital beds must be planned only after taking workforce needs into account.