Eight years after inauguration, Sylhet child hospital yet to take off

The lone specialised government child hospital in Sylhet, named after Liberation War martyr Dr Shamsuddin Ahmad, has failed to start operation even eight years after its inauguration due mainly to bureaucratic complexities, officials familiar with the matter told The Business Standard.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque, during his visit to Sylhet on 2 February, held out the assurance of the commencement of the specialised hospital operation soon.  However, no visible development has so far been made in this regard. 

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister and Parliament Member from Sylhet-1 Constituency AK Abdul Momen has expressed his disappointment over the delay in the commencement of the child hospital. "The design of the 200-bed mother and child hospital was ready and required funds were allocated but the project was not implemented due to the negligence of the authorities concerned," he told The Business Standard.

The minister called for action against those responsible for the delay.

The health facility in the Chowhatta area of Sylhet city was used as Sylhet Medical College Hospital (now Osmani Medical College Hospital) until 1978. After the relocation of the medical college, the old building was kept abandoned for 13 years till 1991. It was made a part of Sylhet Sadar Hospital the next year. Later in 1998, the facility was declared a separate hospital and renamed Sylhet Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmad Hospital. 

In 2014, the hospital was renovated and transformed into a specialised child hospital at a cost of Tk10 crore. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina early the following year. Since then, it has failed to offer any specialised childcare. Meanwhile in 2020, the hospital was turned into a dedicated Covid-19 treatment facility. 

"Shahid Shamsuddin Hospital has been used as a dedicated Covid hospital due to a lack of space in other hospitals amid the pandemic. Coronavirus-infected patients have been treated there. As the Covid situation has eased, steps will be taken to transform it into a specialised child hospital," Health Minister Zahid Maleque said during his visit. 

He was hopeful that the hospital will be able to begin offering specialised childcare there soon.

Although the facility is 100-bed on paper, it does not have the capacity of serving 30 patients owing to a lack of manpower, and necessary medical instruments, service seekers and officials have said. 

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the hospital, but it did not receive approval as a specialised child hospital from the ministry concerned," Dr Himangshu Lal Roy, outgoing director of health directorate for Sylhet division, told The Business Standard.

"Hence, required manpower and other resources could not be ensured for the hospital, resulting in the delay in operation commencement," he added. 

Some Tk100 crore was allocated for the upgradation of the 100-bed hospital to a 200-bed facility, but the fund could not be utilised owing to a lack of cooperation between the Public Works Department and the Health Engineering Department, the official said.

"There was indecision on the part of the Public Works Department and the Health Engineering Department for a long time over authority related to the development work of the hospital. At length, it was decided that Public Works would move ahead but it failed to submit a work design on time," explained retired official Dr Himangshu Lal.

When contacted, Dr Shariful Hasan, director of the Sylhet Divisional Office of the Health Directorate, told TBS that he was not aware of the previous matter as he joined the place only recently. 

"Anyway, we will find out why the hospital has not been operational despite the inauguration," he said, noting that another hospital, of 200 beds, is under construction next to this area. 

"After its completion, we will launch the operation of the specialised child hospital. In the meantime, all procedures, including recruitment of manpower, will be completed," he added. ***