Once built under UN initiative, Ctg's skin and STI hospital struggles to survive

The hospital was built beside a canal, where sailors once travelled by boat from the seaport to receive treatment. Over time, geographical changes erased the canal, leaving no visible trace behind. Photo: TBS

Before dawn breaks, a crowd gathers outside the Central Skin and Social Health Centre in Agrabad, Chattogram. Hundreds of patients—men, women and children alike—stand in long queues for hours, all hoping to receive treatment that costs just five taka. 

Among them is Mohammad Musa, a man in his sixties who travelled nearly 30 kilometres from Rauzan. 

"I came early in the morning and stood in line for several hours before finally seeing a doctor. I've been here once before. The treatment is good, and it only costs five taka—that's why I came," he said with a tired but hopeful face. 

"But the suffering is real. You have to wait for hours," he added. 

Musa's words echo the daily reality of hundreds of patients who arrive here from different corners of the country. For a vast population in the Chattogram region, this five-taka service is the last resort. 

The Central Skin and Social Health Centre is the only government-run specialised hospital for skin and sexually transmitted diseases in the region. Yet the gulf between overwhelming demand and limited services has created a deeply troubling situation.

Looking at the hospital's present condition, it is difficult to imagine its once internationally recognised past. The institution was born of a global initiative. 

In the 1950s, a United Nations meeting in Brussels decided to establish specialised skin and venereal disease hospitals in major South Asian port cities. As a result, such hospitals were set up simultaneously in Chattogram (then East Pakistan), Karachi, Mumbai and Colombo.

The hospital was built beside a canal, where sailors once travelled by boat from the seaport to receive treatment. Over time, geographical changes erased the canal, leaving no visible trace behind.

In its early days, the hospital served only sailors. Alongside local staff, American doctors and nurses were directly involved in its management. 

Safety risk

Because of this, locals came to know it as the 'American Hospital'—a name that has endured even after the Bangladesh government took over following independence. But the international standards and robust management that once defined the institution have gradually been buried under decades of neglect and crisis.

Today, the 'American Hospital' is trapped in a vicious cycle of crumbling infrastructure, acute staff shortages and inadequate medical facilities. Together, these challenges have severely weakened its ability to provide care, placing immense strain on the hundreds of patients who pass through its doors every day.

The main building is over 70 years old. Built to heal patients, it has itself fallen into decay. Plaster is peeling off ceilings and walls in several places, posing constant safety risks. In such an unsafe and fragile environment, expecting quality healthcare is unrealistic.

One doctor per 200 patients 

The crisis goes beyond infrastructure. 

Despite treating 700–800 patients daily, the hospital operates with only one senior consultant and four medical officers. Each doctor is forced to see 150–200 patients a day, leaving just 30 to 60 seconds per patient—a near-impossible situation for delivering proper medical care.

The hospital's organisational structure, designed for 35 staff members, was created nearly three decades ago. Since then, patient numbers have multiplied, yet no new posts have been added. 

"When the organogram was created, the country's population was nowhere near what it is today. Patient numbers have increased over time, but staff positions have not. As a result, we are struggling to cope," Acting Senior Consultant Dr Mohammad Lutfur Rahman Rahat said. 

Besides, although the hospital has a laboratory, its capacity is extremely limited, with only one lab technician. Many essential and complex tests cannot be conducted here, forcing patients to rely on private diagnostic centres, significantly increasing treatment costs.

Free medicines are supplied by the government, but the quantity is insufficient compared to the patient load. As a result, many patients are unable to benefit from this provision.

Despite being a specialised hospital, there is no facility to admit patients. Dr Rahat notes, "We treat complex conditions such as scabies, psoriasis, fungal infections, syphilis and gonorrhoea. Often, patients require admission, but we have no such facilities to offer."

Despite these limitations, public trust in the hospital has not diminished. Official data shows a steady rise in patient numbers—from 99,146 patients in 2021 to 151,065 in 2023. Between 2021 and October 2025, the hospital treated a total of 630,048 patients: 252,647 men, 244,756 women and 132,645 children.

These figures underline the hospital's importance as a primary lifeline for low- and middle-income communities. Every day, hundreds arrive from across the country in the hope of receiving expert care at minimal cost.

An untapped potential 

Statements from hospital authorities reflect both a clear understanding of the crisis and the bureaucratic inertia slowing its potential. While doctors and internal officials openly acknowledge the limitations, solutions remain trapped in future plans and proposals.

"The nature of diseases is changing. Medical services, medicines and diagnostics have become more advanced. But the hospital has not evolved accordingly," Dr Rahat said. 

"To provide modern healthcare, we need new technology, skilled manpower and adequate budgets. Due to excessive patient pressure in government hospitals, many people are deprived of quality care," he added. 

When contacted, Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi, Director of the Chattogram Divisional Health Directorate, said that a  proposal has been submitted. 

"However, it is unlikely that new project allocations will be approved before the election. Initiatives will be taken soon to modernise the hospital and give it a full institutional structure," he said. 

While the assurance offers some hope, it also points to a long and uncertain bureaucratic process, at odds with the hospital's urgent needs.

Despite being weighed down by multiple crises, the hospital holds potential for revival. 

Built on approximately 0.79 acres of land, a large portion of the premises remains unused. Yet a fully functional specialised hospital for skin and sexually transmitted diseases requires at least 39 separate departments. 

In the past, proposals were submitted to construct a 50-bed full-fledged hospital along with two ten-storey buildings on this unused land, but none of these plans ever moved beyond paper.

Health sector experts believe that if these proposals were implemented, the hospital could become a model healthcare centre not only for Chattogram but for the entire country. 

A modern, fully equipped facility would significantly reduce the burden of skin and STI cases on Chattogram Medical College Hospital and other general hospitals in the region. With improved laboratories, adequate numbers of doctors and inpatient facilities, millions of people could access world-class specialised care at minimal cost.