Mothers' life at risk

Photo: star archive

Pregnant women of poor and middle class families in Nilphamari are at risk due to the disarray situation of emergency delivery operation facilities in all the six Upazila health complexes in the district. Though operation theatres of these hospitals are furnished with adequate infrastructure and equipment facilities, emergency delivery operations cannot be performed due to the chronic shortage of gyneocological surgeon and anesthetist.
Some valuable equipments like sucker machine, autoclave machine, sterilizer are about to go waste remaining idle for years.
Hospital sources informed that all the six Upazila health complexes of the district was being upgraded to fifty- bed hospitals from thirty-one bed in the last year. According to government plan, there supposed to be a gyneocological surgon and an anesthetist in each health complex. However, these posts have been lying vacant for long time in almost all the Upazila health complexes of Nilphamari.
Upazila health and family planning officer (UHFPO) of Kishoreganj, Shariful Islam said “ currently there is no infrastructural barrier to carry out delivery operations but it is not possible right now as gyneocological surgeon and anesthetist are not there”.
We found similar situation in other Upazila health complexes at Dimla, Domar, Saidpur, Jaldhaka and Sadar Upazila.
Civil surgeon office sources informed that in order to provide emergency services to pregnant mothers in remote, backward and monga prone areas, two specialized emergency obstetric care (EOC) centres had been set up in Jaldhaka Health Complex and district hospital premises during 2002-03.
In 2004, Jaldhaka EOC came into operation, and with regular presence of a gyneocological surgeon and anesthetist a good number of operations were carried out. Within a year, operation services came to a halt due to transfer of the gynae surgeon. After a long gap of 8 years, in 2013, these two posts were again filled with gynecologist and anesthetist. But soon the female doctor managed a transfer to Rangpur Medical College and now, the EOC is running short of a female doctor.
Atoar Rahmam of village Angarpara of Sadar Upazila said that he took his pregnant wife to Nilphamari hospital in a critical condition few months back. “But I was compelled to take my wife again to Rangpur Medical College Hospital under grave risks as the Upazila health complex did not have adequate operation facilities,” he said.
UH&FPO of Jaldhaka Dr. Mahbub Hasan Lenin said that Brac was assisting them under maternal and neo natal child health programme to take the pregnant mothers to Rangpur Medical College at their cost.
Civil Surgeon of Nilphamari said that young doctors were unwilling to work in upazila health complex which was the major reason for such dilapidated condition of emergency delivery operation facility in this remote district.