Despite having two specialist doctors and four technicians, the echocardiography (Echo) and exercise treadmill test (ETT) machines at Kurigram 250-bed General Hospital have remained unused for years due to administrative negligence and technical complications, depriving nearly 23 lakh people across the district’s nine upazilas of government heart diagnostic services.
As a result, patients who could have received tests for around Tk200 at the government facility are being forced to pay Tk1,200–1,500 at private clinics and diagnostic centres. The additional financial burden is particularly affecting poor and rural patients.
Hospital authorities said they have repeatedly contacted the contractor and relevant authorities to resolve the issue, but no effective solution has been found yet.
An analysis of available data shows that the echocardiography service was launched at the hospital in 2023 to provide advanced healthcare facilities to local residents. The machine was intended to help doctors diagnose heart conditions and provide appropriate treatment.
However, about a month after the service began, the Echo machine stopped functioning in November 2023 due to a password-related problem. Since then, patients admitted to the hospital and those visiting the outpatient department have had to go to private clinics and diagnostic centres for cardiac tests, facing additional costs and the difficulties of travelling outside the hospital.
During visits to the hospital on 5, 6 and 7 July, this correspondent found the rooms for the Echo and ETT machines locked on the ground floor of the new hospital building. An operational X-ray machine was located beside the rooms, where patients were receiving services. However, there was no crowd around the locked rooms as the Echo and ETT services remained unavailable.
The technicians assigned to operate the machines were found engaged in duties in other departments.
The cardiology department is located on the fifth floor of the new building. A doctor serving there said the department currently has around 15 to 20 admitted patients on average, while more than 50 patients visit the outpatient department daily with symptoms of heart disease. Many of them require echocardiography tests for diagnosis.
Mohammad Kashem Mia, an elderly patient from Ulipur, has been admitted to the cardiology department for the past three days with chest pain. He has already undergone echocardiography twice, and doctors have advised him to take the test once more.
He said he had spent Tk2,900 for the two tests at private facilities, while the cost would have been only Tk500 if the service had been available at the government hospital.
“I am admitted to the hospital, but I am not getting proper treatment here. I have to do everything outside. As an elderly person, it is difficult for me to go up and down five floors. I have already spent a lot of money on tests, and doctors have advised me to do it again,” he said.
Kashem urged the authorities to ensure these diagnostic services at the hospital at affordable costs.
Another patient, Kamal Kanta, was admitted with chest pain and was advised to undergo an echocardiography test. However, he has not been able to complete the test yet due to the unavailability of the service.
Mahfuzar Rahman Raju, who has been suffering from heart disease for the past two years, said he has to undergo echocardiography whenever his chest pain worsens. However, he found the Echo and ETT rooms locked at the government hospital and has had to pay extra at private facilities.
“How long will we have to go outside for tests? How much money will we have to spend? When will the authorities wake up? We want affordable government services,” he said.
Dr Md Sazzadur Rahman, junior consultant of the cardiology department at Kurigram 250-bed General Hospital, said two doctors and four technicians had been assigned for Echo and ETT services.
“We cannot provide echocardiography services because the machines are not operational. If these services become available here, patients’ suffering and expenses will both decrease,” he said.
The hospital’s Residential Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Nisharga Meraj Chowdhury said they had sent several letters to the concerned authorities regarding the issue but had not received an effective response.
“Once the machines become operational, people in this area will receive Echo and ETT services at a low cost. We have no lack of efforts. We have already made the endoscopy machine operational, which was previously inactive. We hope the Echo and ETT machines will also be functional soon,” he said.
