Treating children in unsanitary conditions, hawkers roaming freely
Photo Collected
It was past 11 o’clock. Every bed in the medicine wing of Habiganj Sadar Hospital’s children’s ward is filled with patients and their relatives. Besides, some children of different ages were being treated on Friday on the damp and dirty floor.
One of the patients on the floor is two-year-old Abdul Momin. Mother Manjura Begum (26) brought the child to the hospital from Lakhai upazila in the morning due to fever with shivering. The bed where the child was being treated on the damp floor was turning pitch black, losing its original color. Manjura took the child in her arms by spreading a polythene on it. And saline is running in the cannula attached to the child’s leg. When asked whether the child would get sicker in such a dirty environment, Manjura said, ‘What would I do, there is no other way?’
বিজ্ঞাপন
Relatives and guardians of several patients under treatment in the ward complain that the condition of the patients is getting worse due to long stay in such unsanitary environment of the hospital and they themselves are getting sick.
Housewife Shibli Akhtar of Barabda area of Chunarughat upazila said that she came here five days ago with her eight-month-old son. At that time the child had cold and fever. The child developed diarrhea two days after being treated here. Now the hospital is not even giving saline. As a result, they have to buy it with their own money and give it to the body.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Talking to the patient’s relatives, the clock crossed 11:10. However, no cleaning staff was seen anywhere in the ward. Meanwhile, a hawker entered the ward with tea and biscuits. He was freely visiting the bedsides of infected children and selling products to relatives.
At that time, a woman named Rabeya Begum (40) spontaneously said, “Our biggest problem is the bathroom.” I have been here for three days. But not like using the bathroom. There are four-five bathrooms, but all four are unusable. Which is a little better, the entire floor of patients and relatives go to Oida. There is no drinking water, no basin.
Rabeya, a resident of Sagardighi area of Baniachong upazila, was speaking from the room, there are six beds in total. A visit to the only toilet in the corner of its balcony shows a blocked pipe and overflowing dirty water. He went around and showed all the toilets on the entire floor to this reporter. Only one of these was usable. None of the rest have doors, and some are so dirty as to be unusable.
At one point in the conversation, a relative named Hamida Khatun (30) is seen sweeping the room on her own initiative. Then take the dirt and put it in a corner of the door. The ward has three such rooms with six beds each. In the next room, the female relative of another patient is seen mopping the floor after sweeping. Apart from this, 8 to 10 children are receiving treatment on the beds spread in the huge common room. Among them, the cleaning lady in charge was seen at 11:37. He sweeps half of the common room until 11:50 and leaves. Then came back again at 12:25. Just as he finished sweeping the rest of the common room, it was 12:32.
Talked with a doctor in charge there. On condition of anonymity, he said, clean environment is necessary not only for patients but also for doctors. Even the room assigned to them is not cleaned properly. And the condition of the patient rooms is very unhealthy for children.
A few relatives were peeling bananas in a part of the common room shortly after the cleaner left. In this context, a parent who did not wish to be named said, “We ourselves are not good. We do the dirty. Do not throw dirt in the dustbin.
These relatives were talking in the middle of three separate rooms with six beds. Yasmin Begum (45) joined here. He said, ‘I went to the bathroom in that corner yesterday. After coming I can’t eat rice because of vomiting all day. Today I am using the bathroom on the second floor of the old building. I just came from there.
After stopping for a while, showing the broken part of the bed allocated for her granddaughter, Yasmin said, “I am sitting on this bed.” I am also reading, son’s wife is also reading. It hurts to massage. Bring patients to recover. And even good people get sick.
It was past 1 a.m. by the time relatives of the patients heard about the problem. Among them, at least four hawkers visited the children’s medicine ward eight times with different products. A hawker named Manik said, no one prevents them from entering here. Beneficial to patients and relatives. So they don’t agree.
Aminul Haque Sarkar, the supervisor of Habiganj Sadar Hospital, was contacted over the phone to find out about these problems. He said the cleaners usually sweep and mop the floor twice a day. Do it more often if necessary. However, they will be warned about dereliction of duty.
About the toilet-crisis, the official said, many relatives throw children’s diapers in the toilet. As the pipe is thin, it gets blocked later. Public works department has been informed about all toilet problems. They assured to take action soon. Apart from this, other problems will be monitored and action will be taken.
Caretaker Aminul Haque Sarkar believes that the awareness of patients’ relatives is also important to protect the cleanliness of the hospital. He said, with the help of an NGO, the relatives and guardians of the child patients are made aware and will continue to do so in the future.
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