Savar Upazila Health Complex has been suffering from capacity issues for quite a long time now. From lack of beds, doctors and every other required facility, the state-sponsored health service is far from fulfilling the needs of the people.

According to hospital sources, only 26 doctors are currently serving thousands of patients on average every day, from the emergency, outdoor, and indoor sections.

Often, patients are deprived of the expected service and even harassed, leading them to turn towards more expensive private hospitals.

A total of 1,81,966 patients have received treatment from the hospital's indoor, outdoor, and emergency sections from January to September 2021. Around 3,807 patients received treatment from the indoor section, 11,451 from emergency and 1,66,708 from the outdoor section, shows hospital data.

The 26 doctors also need to take care of other administrative duties in turns. Moreover, senior doctors have to tackle other surgery sites with hospital staff and nurses. This implies that only seven to eight doctors are present at any given time at the outdoor section to attend to the huge crowd of patients every day.

Korimon Begum, who was waiting before a doctor's room, told this correspondent that she came to consult a doctor for her three-year-old child. She believes that the quality of treatment at a government hospital is much better than in private ones.

However, she said it is tough to get a doctor's appointment, but the treatment cost is only Tk 5 and medicines are being provided for free.

This correspondent also found that the beds, bed sheets and pillows at the indoor section are not cleaned properly.

"We are constantly trying our best to serve the patients. But the reality is that we are not capable of delivering all kinds of services due to lack of facilities," said Savar's upazila health and family planning officer Dr Sayemul Huda.

The hospital building and other structures are in bad condition as well. The hospital authority has sent multiple letters to the health ministry and department concerned in this regard, he said.

Dr Abu Hussain Md Moinul Ahsan, civil surgeon of Dhaka, said they sent a proposal to higher authorities for development of the health complex.