Medicare to suffer during Eid holiday

Patients are set to suffer during Eid holidays as most of the doctors, nurses and persons linked to medicare and emergency services will go on vacation to celebrate the festival.
Health services will be disrupted as understaffed public and private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres will keep their outpatient services closed.
Some hospitals will keep emergency services open with skeleton staff as most of the doctors and members of staff went on vacation and extended leave for Eid.
“People do not get proper attention during Eid holidays usually,” said Dr Billal Sarkar at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Recalling his experience he said, patients found it difficult to get medical treatment for lack of doctors during the Eid holidays.
The situation is worse at private facilities, he said, adding, ‘other than a few big private hospitals, most of the private clinics will remain vacant.’
A clinic manager at Dhanmondi said consultants of the clinics had already stopped surgery and discharged all their patients.
Sabuj Mia was one of the patients who suffered last year. He had a fracture on his mandible that required dental services also.
The DMCH casualty department took care of his wounds but for the treatment of his mandible (lower jawbone) he needed dental services. The dental department was closed and the patient had to leave the hospital.
Public hospitals, however, have made special arrangements to offer services to patients during the Eid vacation that begins today.
DMCH, Orthopaedic (Pangu) Hospital, Shishu Hospital and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) are among a few that will remain open round the clock for emergency services.
Authority of DMCH claimed they took special preparations to ensure proper medical facilities during the Eid vacation. Non-Muslim staff including doctors and those who will be present in the city or on the outskirts are assigned on roster duty during the upcoming holidays.
“Emergency and indoor services will remain open round the clock,” said DMCH director Brig Gen (Dr) Bazle Kader to The Independent.
“We also have drawn up a special roster for our doctors, nurses, and other staff. Special meals will be served to the patients on the Eid day,” he said.
Ambulance drivers will also be on duty for emergency needs, he added.
An emergency medical officer of the DMCH said they had to remain busy with non-emergency patients during Eid holidays as the outdoor services were kept closed.
Another doctor requesting anonymity said, internal transfers of patients from one ward to another might be hampered due to lack of supporting employees.
Pangu Hospital authority also said the non-Muslim employees would work by rotation while the doctors would be on call during the Eid vacation. A doctor at the Pangu Hospital said crisis might be deepened if a lot of accident patients come to the hospital during holidays, as adequate staffs would not be in place.
 
Courtesy of The Independent