Md. Aman Ullah:
Due to extreme financial crisis and tension, the specialized department of Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital, the main government medical center of Cox’s Bazar district, has finally been closed. This department was kept running by providing services without pay for 9 consecutive months by 130 employees including 30 doctors. But since that was no longer possible, the CCU was announced to be closed on Thursday (May 8). Although the matter was informed in writing to the higher authorities on May 5 by the hospital’s superintendent, Dr. Mong Ting Ngo. Under the World Bank’s ‘Health and Gender Support Project (HGFP), Health and Gender Support Project (HGS), various international and domestic NGOs have been providing various assistance to hospitals and union health centers across the district with the World Bank’s allocated funds for the locals in the Rohingya crisis since the beginning of 2019. In addition to the manpower recruited by the government in the Cox’s Bazar Health Department, 199 officers and employees were posted at Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital. Under which the hospital launched ICU, CCU, emergency maternity and child protection services. But the project expired in June 2024. At that time, after the media published news about the matter in various ways, the government extended the project period by 3 months to September. Dr. Mong Ting Ngo, Superintendent of Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital, said that after the project was closed, an assurance was received that a new project would be approved by an international organization called Inclusive Services Operating (ISO). In view of which, after discussing with the concerned doctors and staff, specialized departments including ICU, CCU were launched. Where there were 30 doctors and 100 staff. Who had been providing services without pay for the last 9 months and the departments were operational. A top official of the hospital, who did not want to be named, said that basically the specialized departments are dependent on NGOs. Some departments including ICU and CCU are not under the government 250-bed District Sadar Hospital. The NGO project was closed in June. Later, it was extended for three months, but then it was closed in September. After that, many people continued without pay, hoping that the project would come. But due to bureaucratic complications, the project is still stuck. Many of them have left their jobs. For this reason, the CCU department was closed on Thursday due to lack of doctors. The ICU is still running without pay. That too can be closed at any moment. Doctors said that 1.2 million Rohingyas joined the 2.5 million people of Cox’s Bazar district in 2017. And every year, several hundred thousand tourists visit Cox’s Bazar. The 250-bed Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital, a modern service institution providing advanced services to a large population. Out of the 328 government-sanctioned posts, 76 are vacant in the hospital. On average, more than five hundred patients come for service in the emergency department every day. Only three doctors are providing services. To maintain minimum services, at least 12 doctors are needed in the emergency department. Apart from this, even though the hospital has 250 beds, an average of 800 to 900 patients are admitted indoors every day.
Views: 1
