Patients have raised complaint about utterly poor and inadequate treatment facilities and lack of cleanliness in the 100-bed Char Fasson Upazila Health Complex in Bhola.

Visiting the health complex recently, this correspondent saw several patients were leaving after being deprived of proper treatment there.

"My 85-year-old father was admitted to the health complex with cardiac complications, but in the 72 hours since then, he received no treatment or attention whatsoever from the doctors and nurses here. So we are taking him to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital for treatment," said Yanur Begum while leaving the hospital premises.

Nargis Begum, a patient admitted to the hospital with cold-related issues, echoed her.

"I have been admitted here for two days. The treatment facilities here are grossly inadequate. Also, the surroundings are very dirty and unhygienic. I will return home and seek treatment elsewhere," she said.

This trend of patients leaving the hospital without receiving proper treatment has been going on for quite a long while. While around 40 percent beds remain unoccupied, at least four or five patient leave the hospital for elsewhere due to dissatisfaction over treatment facilities provided in the hospital.

This correspondent also noticed that garbage has piled up at many places in and around the hospital premises, with no efforts to clean up those.

Patients also expressed dissatisfaction over the insufficient medicines and poor quality of food provided by the health complex. They also complained that the diagnostic services are largely non-functional, adding that brokers of numerous private clinics and diagnostic centres have plagued the hospital to the extent that patients are being compelled to get all necessary tests done through them from outside, spending a hefty sum of money.

Talking to this correspondent, Dr Shovan Kumar Basak, upazila health and family officer of Char Fasson, said acute manpower shortage has severely affected the hospital's proper functioning.

"The hospital has 35 posts of doctors and consultants, but 18 of the posts have been lying vacant for a long time. Also, there is only one cleaner and two support staff at the hospital. Such manpower crisis makes it difficult to provide all services properly," he said.

"Even amid this situation, we are providing outdoor services to around 500 patients daily, while around 60-70 patients are provided treatment after they are admitted to the hospital. Even last month, around seven or eight surgeries were conducted at the hospital," he also said.

"Steps are being taken to improve the services. Budget allocation remains a key issue. Some 17 workers are being outsourced on an emergency basis to enhance cleanliness and other aspects," he added.