Healthcare services at the Bagerhat 250-bed hospital have been severely hampered for years due to a shortage of doctors, inadequate funding, and an ongoing crisis of hospital beds. Despite being the district’s main healthcare facility, the hospital continues to operate with resources meant for a 100-bed capacity, locals say.
According to hospital records, 33 out of 58 physician posts remain vacant, creating a critical gap in patient care. The anesthesiology department, essential for surgeries and emergency interventions, has only one junior consultant. Due to this shortage, treatments for cardiac, ophthalmological, and ENT (ear, nose, and throat) patients have been suspended.
Other vital services remain non-functional. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has been shut down after running for just one year, and kidney dialysis services have yet to begin, forcing critically ill patients to seek treatment elsewhere.
With 400 patients admitted daily—far exceeding the hospital’s 250-bed capacity—many are forced to sleep on the floor, even in winter. During a visit to the hospital, patients were found lying on the floors of corridors, stairways, and near nurses' counters due to a lack of space.
Md Zahid, a patient from Muginj, has been receiving treatment on the floor for four days. "I haven't received any food from the hospital," he said. Other patients, Eskendar Ali Sardar and Zihad Talukdar, shared similar experiences.
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Nurses say they are overwhelmed by the heavy workload. Each nurse attends to 40-45 patients daily, making it nearly impossible to provide quality care.
“We receive food allocations for only 40 patients, but we often have 75 to 80 admitted, leaving many without meals,” said Nilufa Khanom, a nurse in the surgery department. "This creates conflicts between staff and patient families."
Established in 1970 as a 50-bed facility, the hospital was upgraded to 100 beds in 1992 and later to 250 beds in January 2022. However, its staffing and funding have remained at the 100-bed level, failing to match the rising patient demand.
Currently, out of 10 senior consultant posts, only two are filled, and only four consultants are available out of 15 posts. The situation is even worse in the anesthesiology department, where just one doctor is available out of six.
Meanwhile, the outpatient department sees 1,200 to 1,500 patients daily, while the emergency unit handles 250 cases—putting immense pressure on the hospital’s limited staff.
Dr. Taposh Kumar Sarkar, the hospital’s resident medical officer, admitted that the facility is struggling to provide proper care to 17 lakh people in the district.
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"Despite increasing the hospital’s capacity, manpower and funding have not been adjusted accordingly," he said. "Under such conditions, ensuring patient satisfaction is nearly impossible."
He urged the government and local stakeholders to intervene immediately, warning that without urgent measures, the crisis will only worsen.