Chuadanga Hospital Struggles Amid Staff Shortage

A severe manpower shortage, coupled with the absence of an anaesthesia consultant for nearly a year, has left hundreds of patients in distress and turned the 250-bed hospital into a place of frustration and uncertainty, locals said.

Although the hospital was upgraded to a 250-bed facility years ago, it continues to operate with the manpower sanctioned for just 50 beds — and receives allocations for food and medicine suitable for only 100 beds.

“The mismatch between infrastructure and staffing has pushed the hospital to the brink of dysfunction,” said an official of the hospital wishing anonymity.

Established in 1970 as a 50-bed facility, Chuadanga Sadar Hospital was upgraded to a 100-bed hospital in 2003. Yet, the upgrade came without additional staff. In October 2018, then Health Minister Mohammad Nasim inaugurated a new six-storey building with 250 beds, built at a cost of Tk 30 crore.

Seven years on, however, the expanded facility remains largely underutilised. While the building stands tall, the workforce to run it effectively is painfully thin.

Among the 50 sanctioned posts, 29 are currently vacant, including those of senior eye consultant, senior and junior anaesthesia consultants, senior paediatrician, senior medicine consultant, junior ENT consultant, junior radiologist, medical officer, and dental surgeon, according to the official.

Besides, 20 posts across the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades have also been vacant for years.

The absence of an anaesthesia consultant has crippled the operation theatre, which has been virtually non-functional since January. Even routine surgeries have been delayed indefinitely, forcing patients to seek treatment elsewhere at higher costs and greater risk.

In a stopgap arrangement, Assistant Surgeon Dr ASM Mostafa Kamal from Jibannagar Upazila Health Complex has joined the hospital on deputation. Having completed anaesthesia training, he is temporarily overseeing surgical procedures. But hospital staff and patients alike say this is merely a patch on a widening wound.

“Even minor surgeries are being delayed due to the lack of an anaesthesia consultant,” said a doctor at the hospital, requesting anonymity. “We are compelled to refer both regular and emergency patients to other facilities, which adds to their expenses and suffering.”

For patients and their families, the crisis is personal and painful. “I’ve been admitted for a month,” said Uzir Ali, a patient in the male surgery ward.

He went on to say, “The doctor said my operation would be on Monday, but it still hasn’t happened. Even poor people can’t find peace in death.”

Parvina Khatun, who has been tending to her mother in the female surgery ward, voiced similar frustration, “My mother’s operation was scheduled last week, but now they say we have to wait longer.”

Another patient, Selina Khatun, shared her despair, saying, “I’ve been here for 15 days. They gave a date, then changed it. Now I don’t know when, or if, it’ll ever happen.”

Junior Surgery Consultant Dr Ehsanul Haque Tanmoy confirmed that the operation theatre had been almost shut since the anaesthesia consultant was transferred in January. “It reopened on a limited scale in September when an assistant surgeon with anaesthesia training joined us. But this is not sustainable. If both anaesthesia consultant posts were filled, we could run surgeries properly,” he said.

The hospital’s Acting Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Wahed Mahmud Robin said the crisis has reached an unbearable point.

“Officially, the hospital is a 100-bed facility, but we are running it with manpower meant for 50 beds — while nearly 350 patients are admitted at any given time. The absence of an anaesthesia consultant has severely disrupted our operations. Some surgeries are being conducted through makeshift arrangements, but critical patients must be referred elsewhere,” the RMO added.

He urged the authorities to urgently fill both anaesthesia consultant positions and other vacant posts to restore normal healthcare services, reports UNB. 

Local civil society members have also voiced their dismay.

“Chuadanga Sadar Hospital is the main healthcare facility for around 16 lakh people,” said Shahjahan Ali Biswas, former principal of Chuadanga Municipal Degree College.

“Without filling all the vacant posts, the suffering will only deepen. Frequent surgery delays, medicine shortages, doctor absenteeism and poor management have turned this hospital into a centre of hardship rather than healing,” he said.

When contacted, Hospital Superintendent Bidyut Kumar Biswas declined to comment on the issue.