Years of neglect haunt JU Medical Centre

• Budget remains stagnant at Tk 45 lakh
• No new doctor recruited since 2005
• 9 doctors for over 12,500 students
• Medical Centre lacks specialists, assistants, support staff

On Sunday, June 22, Zubayer Hossain, a third-year student of Anthropology department at Jahangirnagar University, died reportedly after being denied timely ambulance support. He had long suffered from haemophilia.

Earlier, on November 20 last year, Afsana Rachi, a first-year student of JU's Marketing department, died after being hit by a battery-run rickshaw on the campus and allegedly denied proper treatment at the JU Medical Centre.

The tragedies further exposed the dire condition of JU's medical support system, which has long been plagued by myriads of limitations such as negligence, budget constraint, and an acute shortage of manpower.

Students have long been complaining about inadequate medical facilities at the JU Medical Centre -- providing substandard facilities, lacking basic emergency preparedness, and failing to address urgent needs.

According to documents obtained by this correspondent, the centre's budget allocations have failed to keep up with the growing demands of the university's student population and rising medical costs.

Between 2022–23 and 2025–26 fiscal years, the overall budget for healthcare facilities has remained stagnant at Tk 45 lakh.

In FY 2020–21, the centre received a mere Tk 14.78 lakh for purchasing medicine and dressing equipment. Although the allocation rose to Tk 30.48 lakh during the pandemic in FY 2021–22, it dropped again to Tk 24 lakh in FY 2022–23 and remained so till FY 2024–25, even as prices of essential medicines rose by 30-40 percent meanwhile.

Similarly, allocations for pathology kits have remained unchanged at Tk 21 lakh since FY2022–23, despite a sharp increase in reagent prices due to import costs and rising dollar rates.

Officials at the JU Medical Centre said the budget falls far short of actual needs.

"We require at least Tk 80 lakh annually for medicines and dressing equipment alone, and Tk 75 lakh more to sustain pathology services," Dr Shamshur Rahman, JU's chief medical officer, told The Daily Star recently.

The crisis only extends further. The medical centre currently operates with only nine doctors -- six male and three female -- to serve more than 12,500 students, as well as faculty members and staffers.

No new doctor has been recruited since 2005.

The centre currently has no specialist doctor, no medical assistant or physiotherapist. It has only six pharmacists, two aid nurses, and two male nurses working night shifts. All of them are frequently assigned to field duties, limiting their hospital presence.

Of the centre's five ambulances, one is permanently reserved for the vice-chancellor, leaving four to serve thousands of students. There are seven drivers.

Only some basic diagnostic tools -- including an ultrasound machine, an X-ray machine, and an echocardiogram machine -- are available at the medical centre.

"We urgently need at least four specialist doctors and 12 medical officers. Additionally, we require at least 10 beds, six more nurses, eight ward boys, three female assistants, three wet cleaners, two more pharmacists, two phlebotomists, two pathology writers, four more drivers, two office assistants, one assistant storekeeper, four security guards, one gardener, two additional ambulances, and a mini-ambulance for 24-hour service," said Dr Shamshur Rahman.

"Medicine allocations must increase to provide proper treatment. Pathology services need urgent upgrades to improve diagnosis. Without more doctors, nurses, and support staff, the centre cannot meet rising demands. Infrastructure renovations are also overdue," he added.

Students demanded immediate improvements to the medical centre's services.

"We have long demanded better healthcare facilities and the renovation of the JU Medical Centre, but the authorities never listened. How many more students must suffer before action is taken?" said Rubel Hossain, a student leader.

Contacted, JU's Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof Dr Sohel Ahmed said the administration would assess the need for recruitments in different posts and take necessary steps accordingly.

He, however, opined that the medical centre's officials have failed to provide adequate services even with the resources and budget currently available to them.

"We will form a committee to review the quality of medicines, diagnostic procedures, and treatments provided to students over the years," he said.