Feni Trauma Centre itself is in distress

Set up at Mohipal along the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway promising to provide emergency treatment to accident victims 14 years back, Feni Trauma Centre is now battling for its survival for lack of physicians, electricity, gas and water connections.

The government has built five trauma centres along highways to provide quick medical care to accident victims. In October 2006, the trauma centre in Feni was handed over to the health department after its construction.

Although some physicians were appointed initially, they were gradually transferred to other places, leaving the centre in dire straits.

Despite the fact that the trauma centre has a total of 22 posts, there are currently only 12 officials and employees, including two medical officers, nurses and one pharmacist.

Among them, three nurses are now receiving training in Dhaka.

On average, 20 to 25 general patients come to its outdoor department every day seeking medical assistance.

Visiting the hospital, the UNB correspondent saw rows of CNG auto-rickshaws parked in front of the trauma centre situated just opposite to the Feni-Noakhali road officers’ quarter.

The situation is so horrific that it is quite difficult to enter the trauma centre on foot, let alone an ambulance coming in with a patient. No gateman was seen either. Although the centre is supposed to remain open 24 hours a day, it closes right after 2 pm.

The centre had electricity for four years after its inauguration but for the last 10 years, there is no electricity connection due to unpaid bills. Similarly, the gas connection has also been snapped.

There is absolutely no facility to supply water to toilets as neither deep tube-wells nor hand pumps exists there. Drinking water and water for use in toilets have to be brought from outside.

More worrying is that its medical officers and employees have not received their salaries since February this year.

The Xray lab and two operation theaters remained closed for years, and there is no facility to diagnose any disease.

The correspondent found various equipment and furniture inside the trauma centre in a very bad shape. Grasse and bushes have grown in its open spaces.

One medical officer, sub-assistant community medical officer, two senior helpers, one pharmacist and a maid were seen at the trauma centre during a recent visit.

Abul Kashem and Nurul Haque, both residents of Mohipal area, alleged that no physician is found at the centre when any accident patient is brought here.

Victims are often transferred to Feni Sadar Hospital without any treatment even if a physician is found present at the trauma centre. That is why people who are injured in road accidents are not taken here, they mentioned.

According to medical officer Sanjida Khanum, only the outdoor section is operational at Feni Trauma Centre. “Even if anyone with a broken bone or a minor injury arrives at the trauma centre, he or she is immediately transferred to the 250-bed Feni General Hospital,” she said.

The 20-bed three-storey hospital was built over an acre of land at a cost of Tk 3 crore. Its construction work began in 2003 and was handed over to the district health department by the contractor on July 30, 2006.

“The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was informed about the various problems of Feni Trauma Centre,” said Md Niyatuzzaman, civil surgeon of Feni.

“Now it’s up to the government. I’ve sent the demand letter to the ministry and health department many times in this regard. A demand letter was sent to the director (finance) of health department seeking the unpaid salaries of the medical officers and other employees of the trauma centre,” he added.

Source:UNB