THE New Nation on Wednesday reported how the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics Rehabilitation (NITOR) has been suffering from shortage of qualified physiotherapists and proper equipment. Hospitals are run by public money but public are not getting the life saving treatment and many return home dead raising question how the money is being spent and where it is going. We must say there should be proper accountability to make the medi-care system serving the people. NITOR receives patients from all over the country with severe limb injuries that often needs amputation. But it has only five therapists where at least 50 therapists are essential as per hospital organogram. But there was no official move to recruit more in last few years.
It hears strange that technicians from nearby Institute of Health Technology are replacing the role of the therapists while regular physicians at NITOR have to work under tremendous pressure in absence of trained therapists and physiotherapists. The government must recruit enough therapists and train them quickly to fill up the vacancies.
More disturbing is the fact that the Dhaka Shishu Hospital is not having enough Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to treat newborn babies. Only fourteen units are at work while dozens of newborn babies are left on waiting or being forced to get treatment in other facilities. Even the physicians said they are through the most difficult time in the history of the hospital but there is hardly any remedial measures in sight.
Patients blamed doctors’ reluctance to attend them highlighting corruption and politicization as two big factors influencing the running of the hospital. Most doctors are enjoying posting in the hospital at the city center on recommendation of the ruling party bigwigs. Ruling party-backed doctors’ association is running it with their own rules and exercising their own powers.
The patients are the biggest sufferers in the situation where the quality of medi-care service in public hospitals is now at the lowest. Most patients don’t get access to necessary treatment equipment and have to wait for indefinite period sleeping on floor. In fact the situation in all public hospitals is similarly critical where physicians do not obey rules, refrain from providing treatment to patients in severe need for attendance. Doctors are busy in private practice abandoning hospitals. Since they belong to the ruling party, enforcement of discipline is almost absent and there is hardly anyone to press for the enforcement.
It is an open secret that the health sector is beset with corruption at every level where misuse of fund and swindling of budgetary resources in fake procurement deals are rampant. But patients are suffering from lack of doctors and equipment to treat them. People believe that the public hospital services must be improved quickly buying equipment, recruiting physicians and plugging theft of fund. The authority must do everything to bring relief to patients’ life.
