Shortage of doctors and other staff badly affects medical services at Nachole Upazila Health Complex in the district, much to the sufferings of local patients, especially the poor ones.

There are only six doctors against 12 posts at the state-run health complex meant for 1.32 lakh people in the upazila.

Other important posts, including surgical consultant, junior anaesthetist, medicine consultant, dental surgeon, gynaecologist and resident medical officer are lying vacant for long, said sources at the Upazila Health and Family Planning Office.

Besides, the posts of cashier, storekeeper, assistant nurse and 14 others are vacant.

The operational equipment is lying idle for long due to absence of anaesthetist, gynaecologist and surgeon, and doctors of the hospital often sent the critical patients to Chapainawabganj Adhunik Sadar Hospital or Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

On an average, around 300 outpatients come for treatment daily while about a dozen patients remain admitted to the 50-bed health complex.

Only two medical officers and three assistant surgeons, who have to work at the emergency department and attend indoor patients too, treat outdoor patients.

"It is not humanly possible for only two to three doctors to deliver medical services to so many people," said a doctor of the health complex.

"I came for treatment of my two-year-old daughter at 9:00am but I had to wait three hours to see the doctor," Khaleda Khatun of Jholmolia village in the upazila said a few days ago.

Amid lack of sufficient healthcare facilities at the health centre, many poor patients seeking treatment elsewhere fall into the trap of middlemen and end up spending huge sums of money, often borrowed from loan sharks, locals alleged.

Dr Shafiqul Islam, upazila health and family planning officer of Nachole, said they sent several letters to the higher authorities concerned asking for steps to fill up the vacant posts but to no effect yet.