BATIAGHATA, KHULNA Dec 12: Batiaghata Upazila Health Complex in Khulna District is in dire straits due to shortage of doctors. There are only six doctors in this 50-bed hospital.
Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Abhijit Mallick is busy seeing patients in the hospital every day. There is also Dr Devjyoti Bairagi, Dr Shovan Mallik (Rahul), Dr Ashiq Dutta, Dr Farzana Akhter (Neepa) and Gynecologist Sabera Sharmin.
About 200 to 250 patients are treated daily in the outdoor department. About 80 to 90 patients are admitted. As former upazila health and family planning officer Dr Mizanur Rahman was transferred two months ago, the number of patients has halved. He alone saw almost half of the patients who would come to the hospital for treatment every day.
Patient testing is now almost closed. Moreover, the management is lax. Resident Medical Officer Dr Abhijit Mallick is now the only hope of the patients.
Mitali Mandal of Devitala Village, Jahidul Islam of Vanderkot Village, a patient who came to the hospital for treatment, said that after the transfer of the former health and family planning officer Mizanur Rahman, the medical doctor is no longer providing such services. The new health and family planning officer is an anesthetist, so he does not see patients.
Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Md Wahiduzzaman said, he often has to spend time outside for administrative work. RMOs and other medical officers see patients. However, due to the shortage of doctors, some services are being disrupted.
