Medicines are given at the hospital on the patient’s word
Photo Collected
Patients line up in front of collapsible gates. There is no doctor inside. The patients are standing on the window grill saying who needs medicine! Some need paracetamol, some gas pills, pain pills, some or itch medicine. And according to that, the hospital staff are handing out medicine. As if the patients are the ‘doctor’ here.
The image seen on April 23 at a government hospital in Char area of Mymensingh. The name of the hospital is ‘Charanchal 20 bed hospital’ which is about 28 km from Mymensingh city.
বিজ্ঞাপন
On April 23, no doctor was seen in the hospital, which was built to provide health care to the poor people of Char area. However, the hospital was supposed to become a place of hope for the treatment of millions of people in Char area.
This hospital was built in 2006 near Paranganj Bazar of Mymensingh Sadar Upazila. The two-storied building built on three acres of land donated by the locals is supposed to have 12 beds for women and 8 for men. The hospital also has four residential buildings for the doctors and staff. But the full service has not been started even in almost two decades. There is virtually no medical care except for the dispensing of some drugs in the outpatient department.
বিজ্ঞাপন
On April 23, at around 12:15 PM, patients were seen standing in line in front of the gate and registering their names. Ward Boy. After Hasim Uddin writes his name in the book, the patients go to the next window and tell themselves what medicine they need. Nanny Shahina Akhtar working in master role is dispensing medicine accordingly. But after seeing the patient, the doctor will give the prescription and the pharmacist will dispense the medicine accordingly – that is the rule.
It can be seen that Jannat Akhtar of Chatiantala village wants gas pills, saline and diarrhea medicine. He got the medicine as per his word. He said, “I am not a doctor.” Kaichi used to give medicine, medicine has been given.
Talking to a woman named Murshida Begum on the way back with medicine. He said, ‘I came at 9 in the morning, people come late. The big doctor did not come. It gives what we want.
A woman named Sufia Akhtar came to the hospital. He said, ‘I am talking about stomach pain, medicine has been given. Eno does not treat, one has to go to the city.’
Fatema Akhtar of Borrachar village said, “There is no treatment here. Aino gives several medicines for fever, stomach cramps and gas. There is no treatment for chest pain. Whose body is this doctor? We can’t go to Mymensingh because of money, there are many diseases and if there is a doctor like this, it would be great.’
According to hospital sources, 263 patients took medicine on Thursday, 224 on Wednesday, 254 on Tuesday and 281 on Monday.
Mintu Chandra Dey has been working as a pharmacist in the hospital since 2020. He told Prothom Alo, “Here 250-300 patients are given medicine every day. Patients stand in line and tell their problem, we give medicine. Patients don’t come to doctors for prescriptions. Maximum 2-4 people come for prescription. Most of the patients take the medicine by talking about their problems. He further said, “There is no opportunity to give the medicine if the patients say so.” But I have seen medicines given like this since joining. It’s still going on like this!’
Doctors say that giving medicine without doctor’s advice is a serious threat to public health. Mohammad Kamruzzaman Khan, Associate Professor of Community Medicine Department of Mymensingh Medical College, told Prothom Alo that the rule is that a doctor will diagnose the patient and treat accordingly. Prescribing medicine without a doctor is a threat to public health. He said, ‘If the medicine is given in this way, the patient may not get the correct medicine for the disease or the full dose of the medicine may be missed.’
According to hospital sources, there are five doctor posts but two are currently working. Among them, RMO Nabarun Biswas and Junior Consultant Azim Uddin (Hira) were not found in the hospital on Thursday.
According to the hospital staff, one is sick, the other has gone out for urgent work. Obstetric services have been closed since gynecologist Nivedita Roy (Dola) moved to another attachment about two years ago. Of the other two doctors, one was transferred six months and the other two months ago.
Nabarun called Biswas’s cell phone to talk about it, but it was found switched off.
The hospital can be seen, the infrastructure is there but it is not used. The men’s and women’s wards, nurse’s station and operation theater on the second floor are covered in dust. There are no tables in the operation theater, equipment is wasting away in boxes. Pharmacist Mintu Chandra Dey said, “What was there, a lot was wasted, some were taken to other hospitals.”
Nurses are also out of work as the department is not functioning. Three of the five nurses were present on Thursday. One of them, Chandana Rani Dutta, said, “If there was an internal department, patients would be admitted, injections would be done.” Now I only give health education sometimes, blood pressure gauge.
Newly appointed nurse Saifur Rahman said, “I had a dream to do a good job, but there is no such opportunity here.”
There are two one-story and two two-story residential buildings at the rear of the hospital. They are abandoned. The window glass was broken, the items inside were also broken. Trees have grown inside the building. Like a ‘ghostly’ situation.
Nusrat Jahan, who works as a nurse in the hospital, lives in Gauripur of the district. Due to his job, he is living with his family on rent in a house in this area. Nurse Nusrat Jahan said the quarters could have been there if they were usable.
Local teacher Ali Azgar said that the local people had established the hospital with free land. But due to lack of medical care, the pregnant woman gives birth on the street, the injured patient dies on the way. Now only some medicines are given, the doctor does not see the patient – this is not how the hospital works.” he said.
On March 30, Member of Parliament for Mymensingh-4 Constituency Abu Wahab Akand Wahid requested the Health Minister to open the hospital.
Faisal Ahmed is working as the acting civil surgeon of Mymensingh. He said, ‘It takes an hour and a half to go to the hospital by car. It is very important to make the hospital fully functional to serve the people of Char region. The issue of manpower approval is in the ministry. If the manpower structure is approved, we want to introduce the sub-division on an urgent basis. In this, the hospital will gradually become complete.
When asked about the distribution of medicines as requested by the patients, this official said, “The matter is very sad and reprehensible.” I think it’s a crime. The upazila health department will be asked to take action on the matter.
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