CMCH still operating with 1969 workforce size

Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), the lone tertiary level hospital in the district, will be celebrating 60 years of founding tomorrow but still is struggling with manpower shortages.

According to sources, 230 full-time doctors and 437 nurses are working in the 1,313-bed hospital, which on an average has to provide service to over 2,500 patients every day. Teachers of the medical college and some postgraduate trainees also serve in the hospital but to operate at full capacity CMCH needs 1,500 doctors.

The 437 nurses work in three shifts, which means 2,500 patients get only 145 nurses to attend them in each shift.

Shipra Chowdhury, nursing superintendent of CMCH, said as per the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), one nurse is required for every four patients.

“But we cannot provide a nurse even for every 15 patients. For example, over 250 patients get admitted to the orthopaedic ward per day but we can deploy only three nurses per shift,” she added.

The medical college hospital started its journey in 1957 with 120 beds. It was upgraded to a 500-bed hospital in 1969, in 1996 it added 250 more beds, in 2001 it rose to 1,010 beds, and in 2013 it become a 1313-bed hospital, said hospital sources. Now CMCH is one of the largest hospitals in the country.

Chittagong Medical College (CMC) has planned colourful programmes tomorrow, said Dr Mujibul Huq Khan, vice principal of CMC and president of Bangladesh Medical Association, Chittagong district unit.

Over the years, the number of beds has increased but the workforce size remains the same as 1969, said freedom fighter and renowned pathologist Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, also a former student of CMC.

“When we were students in the 60s, there were only three departments -- medicine, surgery, and gynaecology and obstetrics,” he said, adding, “But now 41 departments are providing services to patients round the clock.”

Dr Diderul Islam, deputy director of CMCH, said most of the 41 wards do not have any post of consultant. Moreover, the posts of assistant registrars, resident surgeons and physicians are being filled with postgraduate trainees. As a result, when the trainings conclude, those posts fall vacant. At present, around 40 such posts remain vacant, he added.

Brig Gen Jalal Uddin, director of CMCH, said the number of class three and four employees is one third of what is required. At present, the hospital has 155 class four employees whereas it needs 1,000 staff.

A committee will be formed to revise the old organogram and create posts for doctors, nurses, technicians and other staff, he added.

“We will send the draft organogram to the health ministry within a couple of months. To address the crisis of nurses, around 330 nurses will be employed in a few months,” he added.