Public hospitals discharge patients ahead of Eid

Public hospitals in the capital discharged many of their patients in last couple of days as many of the doctors and nurses would be on leave on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the major festivals of the Muslims.
Several patients and their relatives alleged that they were induced to leave the hospital as there would be a scarcity of doctors and nurses during the three-day Eid holidays beginning from Sunday.
Hospital authorities, however, claimed that they discharged only those patients who got well and needed no emergency interventions.
They said that many patients had left the hospitals on their own to celebrate the Eid festival with their family and friends.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the country’s biggest hospital, discharged about 1,000 patients on Thursday morning to early Friday, said a record keeper at the hospital.
The hospital’s deputy director Zakir Hossain told New Age on Friday that there were around 3,000 patients at the hospital on Thursday, but the number would decrease on Friday and Saturday because of Eid to be celebrated on Monday or Tuesday.
The hospital is usually crowded with about 3,800 to 4,000 patients against the capacity of 2,600, but the hospital record keepers said on Friday afternoon there were about 2,500 patients as many others were already discharged.
Asked about releasing of so many patients before Eid, Zakir said, ‘We release the patients who got well and needed no emergency interventions’.
‘We have not forced any patients to leave rather many wanted to leave the hospital to celebrate Eid’, he said.
Many beds at the hospital wards were seen vacant while the corridors, where patients overflowed in any given day, were found barren on Friday afternoon.
Other major hospitals like National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital also discharged a large number of patients on Thursday and Friday.
Bazlur Rahman, 65, from Narsingdi was seen leaving NITOR, popularly known as Pangu hospital, with iron appliances around his broken right leg on Thursday afternoon.
His daughter said the doctors discharged his father saying that he did not need to stay at the hospital during Eid holidays.
‘Doctors asked my father to report at the hospital after Eid holidays’, she said.
NITOR with capacity of 500 patients is usually crowded with around 600 patients.
The hospital record keepers said that there were 434 patients on Thursday and 465 on Wednesday.
‘Many other patients would be released on Friday and Saturday with the Eid approaching’, said an official.
Nurses stationed at the emergency ward of NITOR said that the ward of 56 bed is usually crowded with patients even up to 130.
On Thursday, there were 44 patients at the ward, but the number was 128 on Tuesday, said a nurse.
An official preferring anonymity said that the hospital opened a record book of patients who would be discharged before Eid and to be reported after the Eid holidays.
No higher officials including director and deputy director of NITOR were found at their office at about 12:30pm.
Office assistants said the officials already left the office.
Sumon Sarkar, from Kishoreganj, was found leaving Dhaka Shishu Hospital along with his six-day old baby boy on Thursday afternoon.
He said the baby underwent a surgery at the rectum three days ago.
Sumon said the doctors told them that the baby needed another surgery at the rectum but they should come after Eid holidays because there would be scarcity of doctors during the holidays.
There were only six patients at the 20-bed ward dedicated for non-surgery child patients.
The 25-bed surgery ward was found with only eight patients although the ward always remained fully occupied.
The 850-bed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital had 529 patients on Thursday afternoon, officials said, adding that the hospital usually remained overflowed with about 1,000 patients, but the patients were discharged ahead of Eid.
‘The number would drop to about 200 to 250 by Friday and Saturday’, said the hospital information officer SAM Kamruzzaman.
He said the patients were taking release to celebrate Eid with their family and friends.
The hospital assigned 11 doctors to see the patients during Eid, said its director Uttam Kumar Barua, claiming that treatment would not be hampered during Eid holidays but the patients were taking release on their own.
‘We are not forcing any patients to leave’, he said. 

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com