MRI, CT Scanner machines out of order: Mitford Hospital ailing

block
Reza Mahmud :
The state run Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital (Mitford Hospital), which is situated in the old part of Dhaka city, has been suffering from shortage of manpower, equipments and rooms for long. Patients in thousands come to the hospital for treatment everyday, but the institute itself languishes with multiple problems, sources said.
“We come here for treatment at sustainable cost, but do not get that for various reasons. When doctors advise us for MRI report and to get the head scanned, the hospital’s technicians do not cooperate most of the time. It is not that all of us get frustrated. The fortunes and the well off people manage every thing.
When contacted, the Director of the hospital Brigadier General Brian Bangkim Haldar told The New Nation, “We got an administrative order from the higher authority in 2012 to arrange 300 more beds in addition of our existing 300 beds in the hospital. But the reality is that the hospital is not able to accommodate more beds for want of rooms.
In these circumstances, patients use floors of wards to take rest and to sleep at night. We get foods and medicines for patients of 300 beds only,” said the director of the hospital.
While visiting the hospital on Wednesday it was seen, many of the injured patients and their attendants were busy to buy tickets for getting quick treatment. But only one official was on duty on the emergency desk. Some outsiders were also seen to issue tickets to the patients to help the man on desk.
Ahmad Kabir from Wari, Dhaka told this correspondent that the doctor asked him for collecting MRI report. But when he went to the MRI room, it was found locked. No one was there to answer him.
It appeared that the MRI machine room was locked for long. When asked, an official said preferring anonymity that the machine had gone disorder a month ago. The CT scanner machine was also out of order more than a month, according to the officials.
When contacted, the Director of the hospital told, “We are trying to get permission from the Health Ministry to repair those machines.”
The patients said the treatment has become uncomfortable in the hospital due to lack of sufficient logistic supports.
Doctors said, patients from neighbouring Keranigonj, Kotowali, Bangshal, Sutrapur, Gandaria, Shyampur and Jurain come to this hospital with high hopes. The poor patients outnumber the rich patients. We do our best to serve them and the hospital has good reputation.
Every day thousands of patients approach the hospital to get treatment. A patient said, medicines are to be bought from outside, while the unwanted persons disturb us, giving needless suggestions. Not only that, many brokers try to lure patients to the nearby private clinics and hospitals.
block