More than 200,000 residents of Rajapur Upazila in Jhalakathi are being deprived of adequate healthcare services as 86 posts, including 19 doctors, remain vacant at the 50-bed Rajapur Upazila Health Complex.
Out of 181 approved posts at the hospital, 19 doctors, seven second-class employees, 42 third-class staff and 17 fourth-class workers have not been appointed, with some positions lying vacant for up to 15 years, according to hospital sources.
Although the facility was upgraded to a 50-bed hospital, there has been little improvement in service delivery.
An operation theatre has been set up, but no specialist doctors have been appointed, leaving equipment worth millions of taka unused and deteriorating.
Patients from different unions of the upazila arrive daily but often leave for the district’s Sadar hospital after failing to find doctors.
Complainants alleged that due to the shortage of physicians, peons and ward boys at times provide treatment in the emergency department.
In the absence of doctors, they said, minor procedures such as bandaging, stitching and small surgical interventions are sometimes carried out by non-medical staff.
Official records show that posts lying vacant for doctors include junior consultants in ENT, surgery, cardiology, ophthalmology, dermatology and venereology, orthopaedics, medicine, paediatrics and anaesthesia, along with four assistant surgeons or equivalent, one assistant dental surgeon and six assistant surgeons at union level.
Among second-class employees, the posts of one nursing supervisor and six senior staff nurses have long remained unfilled.
Third-class vacancies include health educator, head assistant-cum-accountant, computer operator, cashier, storekeeper, Sub-Assistant Community Medical Officer at upazila and union levels, medical technologist, physiotherapy technologist, pharmacist, health inspector, statistician, assistant health inspectors, cardiographer, compounder, office assistants and data entry operators, health assistants, assistant nurse and driver.
The post of medical technologist has remained vacant for nearly a decade, forcing patients to obtain X-ray services at local clinics at high cost, while the hospital’s own X-ray machine remains unused and at risk of damage.
Fourth-class vacancies include office assistants, ward boys, cooks and cleaners.
Rajapur Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Md Abul Khayer Mahmud Russell said treatment services are currently being managed by three doctors.
“Six or seven doctors are expected to join the health complex within a week, which will ease the shortage,” he said.
He added that the crisis of doctors and other staff shortages has been repeatedly communicated in writing and verbally to higher authorities, but no effective remedy has yet been received.
