40 years on, Gaibandha hospital still in crisis

Gaibandha General Hospital, the main public healthcare facility for the district’s 2.7 million people, continues to struggle with severe shortages of doctors, staff and equipment more than four decades after its establishment.

The hospital was upgraded to 250 beds in 2020, but it still operates with manpower meant for a 100-bed facility. Of the 208 sanctioned posts for a 100-bed hospital, 78 remain vacant, according to updated data from July 28.

Several key specialist posts, including medicine, cardiology, ophthalmology, anaesthesia, dermatology, ENT and orthopaedics, have remained vacant for years.

A nine-storey, 250-bed modern building was completed at a cost of around Tk 40 crore and handed over to the hospital in April 2022. However, four years later, most of the building remains unused due to shortages of manpower and equipment. Another 271 staff members are reportedly needed to fully operate the facility.

Meanwhile, overcrowding remains a major problem. During a visit on September 20, patients were seen occupying floors and corridors due to a shortage of beds.

Hospital officials said 36,167 patients were admitted to different wards between January 1 and August 31 this year, with 2,644 patients referred elsewhere for advanced treatment. During the same period, 325 patients died.

The emergency department reportedly refers an average of 8-10 patients daily to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, mainly due to manpower shortages.

Hospital RMO Asif Rahman said the facility still has staff for a 100-bed hospital despite having 250 beds.

“We are trying our best with the available resources. Recruiting the required manpower would improve the quality of services,” he said.

Superintendent Dr Shahidullah said the new building could not be fully operational due to shortages of manpower and equipment and that the authorities had repeatedly been informed about the situation.

-AJM