Patients suffer during Eid holidays

Shortage of doctors, nurses and other hospital staff has become a regular feature during the Eid holidays. It was no different this time even though patients were not allowed admission to hospitals during the holidays, unless it was an emergency or a very serious case.

According to hospital officials about 15 to 20 percent of the total number of doctors and nurses were present during the holidays, whereas the pressure of patients increased by around 10 percent in the emergency departments. Patients, therefore, were found to be waiting in long lines at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, National Institute of Traumatology, Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation, and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, even in emergency cases.

Given that this is all too common, why did the authorities not take any precautionary measures to prevent such shortages? That the number of emergency cases — because of the increased number of various forms of accidents — goes up during the holidays too, should be well known to the authorities. Thus, the lack of preparatory measures can only be explained by an uncalled for apathy on part of the authorities.

This attitude and such inefficiencies should change. Public hospitals should ensure that people are provided with the necessary services properly, at all times, including during the Eid holidays. And the authorities should take whatever steps necessary to make sure that they do.