KUSHTIA, May 19: Patients and their relatives have alleged severe irregularities and gross mismanagement in healthcare services at the Kushtia Medical College Hospital. They claimed that despite standing in queues for hours, many are forced to return without seeing a doctor.
Allegations have also been raised that regular patients are kept waiting while influential acquaintances are given preference in treatment.
A visit to the hospital's outpatient department revealed long queues of frustrated patients. The relative of a cancer patient shared a distressing ordeal, stating that no cancer specialist is available at the hospital. Consequently, they were referred to a respiratory medicine specialist.
However, after a long delay, when the physician finally arrived, he reportedly ignored the patients waiting in line and took a few of his acquaintances to another room for a private consultation. The frustrated relative questioned, "If the doctor had no intention of seeing general patients, why were tickets issued to us in the first place?"
A similar picture was seen in front of Room No. 101. A victim reported that after waiting for two and a half hours, the attending physician, Dr SM Masuduzzaman, examined only a handful of patients before leaving the room, expressing reluctance to see any more patients.
However, Dr Md Anwarul Kabir, director of Kushtia Medical College Hospital, denied the allegations of mismanagement, and rather defended and praised Dr Masuduzzaman, stating, "There is not a single doctor at this hospital as dedicated as him."
Meanwhile, although the hospital has finally commenced operations after nearly 12 years, it has not yet been possible to functionalise all departments. Due to an acute shortage of technical personnel, valuable medical equipment that has been lying idle for years cannot be made operational. Owing to the lack of full-fledged lab facilities, helpless patients are being forced to undergo tests at various private clinics in the town, incurring exorbitant costs.
Victims and local residents have urgently demanded immediate intervention from the authorities to resolve these issues, ensuring transparency, equality, and humane healthcare services at the hospital.
