An alarming scenario of patient care
We are quite disturbed by a recent revelation regarding the neglect shown to patients' diet in government-run hospitals. An investigation by Prothom Alo of six hospitals in Dhaka has revealed a grim picture where patients are forced to forgo hospital food because of its poor quality. This is totally unacceptable considering how proper meals are essential to the recovery process.
The first issue that came out during the investigation is the lack of attention given to the dietary needs of each individual patient. In one instance, a patient who required liquid meals after a tongue surgery was given solid food. When his attendants asked about it, they were told that his doctor had prescribed a "normal diet." In another instance, a patient's wife had to cook rice because the hospital was giving him stale rice. Then there is the severe shortage of trained dieticians/nutritionists in these hospitals, as well as a general lack of hygiene in their kitchens and in handling the meals.
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The funds that the hospitals get for meals don't help either. In some, as per the report, the daily allocation for meals is Tk 175 per patient. True, hospitals are not immune to the continued heat of food price hikes, but proper management of funds, such as by preventing misappropriation or wastage, can help solve this problem. For a large segment of our population, government hospitals are the only places where they can afford treatment. Unfortunately, years of corruption and mismanagement have left our public healthcare system in a brittle state, with the lack of accountability enabling this cycle and compromising patients' well-being.
The neglect shown in providing quality food to patients is simply a symptom of this malaise. We, therefore, urge the health authorities to look into this matter and enforce strict measures so that government hospitals can't get away with serving subpar meals to patients. We also demand that they undertake the much-needed overhaul of our healthcare system to prevent deep-rooted systemic issues that are allowing widespread irregularities and hindering proper patient care.
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