The vitality of a nation, and the extent to which its people are physically healthy, largely determine that nation’s social and economic resilience.
This is why, in developed countries, public health is regarded as “one of the top priorities” of the state. Alongside allocating substantial funds to the health sector, they attach equal importance to hospital infrastructure, medical equipment, skilled personnel, and regular maintenance.
Yet, looking at the condition of our government hospitals, one often gets the impression that, rather than treating patients first, it is the critically ill hospitals themselves that need treatment!
A report published yesterday in the daily Ittefaq revealed that more than a thousand important diagnostic and testing machines are lying out of order in government hospitals across the country, including those in the capital.
As a result, patients are being forced to turn to private hospitals and diagnostic centres to undergo necessary tests. Those who come to government hospitals primarily in the hope of receiving treatment at a lower cost are ultimately the ones who have to pay extra.
In such a situation, it is only natural to ask: what is the justification for spending hundreds of millions of taka of public money on machines that cannot be used to serve patients?
An even greater cause for concern is that once a machine breaks down, it often takes months and months to repair it. In the healthcare systems of developed countries, however, we see a different approach.
There, the maintenance of medical equipment is not a matter of whim or convenience; rather, it is part of a planned system. Instead of waiting for equipment to break down, they conduct regular inspections, preventive maintenance, and repairs within specified timeframes.
Biomedical engineers and trained technical personnel are also an important part of their hospital systems. In other words, the principle in the developed world is not to purchase equipment and leave it unused; the primary objective and responsibility is to keep it operational.
Unfortunately, this is precisely where we have a major shortfall. Modern, state-of-the-art equipment is purchased at a cost of millions of taka, but there is no clear answer as to how effective the arrangements are for providing the necessary manpower, budget, and accountability to maintain that equipment.
Ninety-eight percent of government medical college hospitals and specialised institutes in the country do not have biomedical engineering departments. Similarly, allegations of irregularities and waste of money in the name of repairing equipment are nothing new. In some places, even when testing facilities are available, brokers operate networks that divert patients to outside facilities.
This trend is not merely a reflection of the poor state and mismanagement of the health sector; it is also a waste of public resources and a form of injustice, or even a mockery, toward citizens.
When a poor patient comes to a government hospital for a diagnostic test, the fact that government equipment is out of order is not merely an administrative failure—it makes the patient’s access to treatment even more difficult.
We often hear commitments to building hospitals free from brokers, and this is certainly commendable. But can the situation really be changed simply by catching brokers? There needs to be a comprehensive digital record showing which equipment is available in which hospital, which machines are operational, which are out of order, how long they have been non-functional, and when they are expected to be repaired.
Effective biomedical engineering departments must be established in major hospitals. At the same time, when equipment is purchased, its maintenance, spare parts, training, and long-term servicing must be ensured from the outset.
Most importantly, accountability must be established when medical equipment in government hospitals remains out of order. A culture in which equipment purchased with taxpayers’ money lies unused year after year, patients are forced to have their tests done elsewhere, and no one is held accountable cannot continue.
We must remember that we are living through a period when the incidence of infectious diseases is continuing to increase. So why should we not ensure a proper environment for treatment in our hospitals?
A hospital is not merely a building or a pile of equipment; a hospital is an institution dedicated to saving human lives. Therefore, rather than purchasing equipment simply to take photographs and display it, it is essential to establish systems that keep the equipment operational.
It can never be desirable for a patient who comes through the doors of a government hospital to return defeated by mismanagement instead of receiving the care they need.
