Medical services for 26 lakh people in the district is limping due to acute shortage of doctors and staff at hospitals and health complexes.
There are 193 posts of doctors for the people of the district, of which, 129 posts have been lying vacant and only 64 doctors are working.
At present, there are 15 doctors in 250-bed Sadar hospital against 26 posts there. Besides, there are only two consultants at the Hospital against 13 posts.
There are no consultant doctors at gynecology, medicine, surgery and ENT and anesthesia departments for long, hampering treatment of the patients.
Sources said, there are only 32 nurses against 120 posts, one assistant nurse against 19 posts and three nursing supervisors against 11 posts.
Many posts of laboratory technicians are also lying vacant for long.
Sometimes, critical patients have to go to Sylhet amid risk as electro-cardiogram (ECG) cannot be done on time for absence of technicians.
The chief laboratory technician of civil surgeon office is now working at Sadar Hospital.
But many patients from remote areas, especially the poor ones, can hardly afford to go to Sylhet for treatment.
Source : The Daily Star
