Home ›› 22 Mar 2023 ›› Nation
Even though eight years have passed since project approval and budget allocation, the development works of Sylhet Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed District Hospital are yet to begin due to various complications.
The hospital started its journey in 1992 as Sylhet Sadar Hospital. Then in 1998, it was named after Sylhet’s war hero, Shahid Dr Shamsuddin who was killed during the War of Independence in 1971.
A primary budget of Tk 10 crore was allocated for this specialised hospital in 2014. Among that the Public Works Department (PWD) spent Tk 3 cr on infrastructural development.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 100-bed Sylhet Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed Specialised Children’s Hospital Hospital on January 21, 2015.
After the PM’s announcement, Tk 100 crore was allocated to upgrade the hospital to 200 beds. This work was scheduled to be completed by 2019.
But after eight years of the announcement, the hospital has yet to fully start its activities due to acute manpower shortage and equipment crisis.
The hospital started its journey in a rush with a shortage of manpower and equipment. Other ancillary facilities were also absent. The emergency ward is not operational due to a lack of doctors.
Declaring it as Corona Dedicated Hospital, the treatment of Covid-19 affected patients started in this hospital in 2020.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Malik during his Sylhet visit on February 2, said the development works will begin soon. However, the locals are sceptical about whether the work will ever be done.
According to related sources, the development works have been halted due to a lack of administrative approval and manpower. Another reason for the delayed development work is a lack of coordination between the Public Works Department and the Health Engineering Department (HED).
Hospital sources said that four rounds of letters were sent to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2015-16 to create posts and recruit manpower to start it as a specialised children’s hospital. However, no initiative has been taken from the ministry in this regard.
DGHS Sylhet Divisional Director Dr Shariful Hasan said, “I have only recently been appointed here. I will investigate the reason why the hospital has not been opened even after the inauguration.”
The former Divisional Director Dr Himanshu Lal Roy said that despite the inauguration of the Prime Minister, there was no administrative permission from the ministry for the specialised children’s hospital. As a result, officials were not appointed.
“Building infrastructure alone does not make a hospital. Hospitals require manpower, equipment and ancillary facilities. Due to a lack of these, the specialised children’s hospital could not be started,” he said.
Regarding the return of the budget in the first phase he said that a problem arose with whether the work would be done by the PWD or the HED. Later, it was decided that the PWD would do the work, but they could not submit the work design within the stipulated time.
DGHS sources said that currently, the hospital has 100 beds on paper, but has the manpower to barely run a 30-bed hospital. During the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors and health workers were brought from Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH) to carry out the activities.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr AK Abdul Momen MP expressed his indignation regarding the matter during his Sylhet visit on February 2.
“The project was not implemented due to the negligence of the concerned. Those responsible for this should be identified and action should be taken against them,” he said.
