NARSINGDI — Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain Bakul made a surprise visit to the Polash Upazila Health Complex in Narsingdi following complaints that doctors were not arriving at work on time.
He visited the upazila health complex at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 7.
According to hospital sources, 5 of the 21 doctors on duty were on leave. Of the remaining 16, the minister found 8 present, and 2 of them arrived late, the sources said. The minister then toured the hospital’s emergency department, patient wards and doctors’ chambers, reviewed overall service delivery and spoke with patients.
The minister said he had seen a news report on March 5 that said doctors at the hospital were not arriving on time and that the doctors had told the news media they were upstairs while the reporters were downstairs. He said his surprise visit was meant to verify the report.
“I am personally disappointed by what I have seen here,” the minister said. “Just 24 hours after a report was published, I was expecting all the doctors to be at their posts on time, but I did not find that on this visit.” He said the hospital has 27 sanctioned posts and 21 working doctors, but only 8 were present, and 2 of those arrived late. Another 5 doctors were on leave, he said.
The minister said doctors do humane work. “We want to bring health services to people’s doorsteps, and that will be done through doctors,” he said. “But they themselves are not showing up on time. Those who did not show up will face action under the rules.”
The minister said the government is buying rabies vaccines with cash and delivering them to every upazila. He said there would no longer be a shortage of rabies vaccine in the country.
Also present were Polash Upazila Executive Officer Ishtiaq Ahmed, Polash Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Kazi Mohammad Atikul Islam, Resident Medical Officer Dr. Abdullah Al-Mamun, and Polash police station inspector (investigation) Kutubul Alam.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report