Nasir Uddin Bablu, Dohazari ( South Chittagong)

The 50-bed health center of Chandanish Upazila of Chittagong is the main center for the treatment of lakhs of people in the eight unions and two municipalities of the upazila.

At present, Health Complex is plagued with various problems including shortage of building, infrastructure, materials and manpower. Due to which the patients coming to the hospital for treatment are being deprived of the desired medical services.

While visiting the spot , it is seen that the roof of the ground floor of the main building of Health Compensox has cracks, and the plaster has fallen. Rusty corroded iron rods and pillars are exposed at various places. Similar cracks have appeared in various important rooms including the emergency department, store room, upazila health officer's room and the patient ward on the first floor.

The Upazila Health Complex was inaugurated in 1978 as a 31-bed Upazila Hospital, later upgraded to 50 beds in 2013. As such, the quality of service has not increased. Medical services are still being provided in a 31-bed hospital model.

Generators have been idle for an age, medical services are disrupted due to extreme heat and load shedding. LED rechargeable bulbs are used as temporary substitutes for lighting, and X-ray machines have been useless for many years.

A team from the Public Health Engineering Department came to check the cracks in the roof plaster and pillars, according to them the building is not dangerous and will be repaired. As the X-ray machine is useless, not only the poor, but the medical services of the patients coming to the hospital are disrupted.

Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Abdulsnah Al Irfan said that there is a shortage of generators, X-ray machines and sufficient manpower and the demand has been sent to the authorities concerned.