Kashimpur jail hospital remains non-functional without doctors, nurses, technicians
Modern medical equipment, an operation theatre and pathological laboratory facilities worth crores of taka are lying unused at Kashimpur Central Jail-2 in Gazipur due to a severe shortage of doctors, nurses and technicians.
As a result, the 200-bed hospital has yet to become fully operational, nearly two decades after its inauguration, leaving the medical treatment of around 11,000 prisoners uncertain.
The valuable medical equipment is also at risk of becoming dysfunctional as it has remained unused for years.
Sources said there are four prisons in the Kashimpur jail complex in Gazipur. A 200-bed hospital was constructed at Jail-2 to provide comprehensive medical treatment to prisoners from all four facilities.
However, the hospital's services have remained limited due to the failure to appoint the required number of doctors and other medical staff since its inauguration.
Several posts were created for the hospital, including one superintendent, two senior consultants, nine junior consultants, five resident physicians, medical officers, two pharmacists and one diploma nurse. However, almost all of the posts remain vacant.
At present, two physicians from Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital have been posted to the jail hospital on deputation. Two more physicians have been provided by the Gazipur Civil Surgeon’s Office. They visit the Kashimpur Jail-2 hospital two to four days a week and generally stay from morning until noon.
Meanwhile, many prisoners suffer from diabetes, tuberculosis, high blood pressure and cardiac diseases.
Cardiac patients, in particular, often require immediate hospitalisation. However, it can take at least an hour to transport a critically ill prisoner from the jail to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital due to the distance and traffic congestion. This increases the risk of complications for critically ill patients.
Contacted, Kashimpur Jail-2 Senior Jail Superintendent Halima Khatun said other prisons are located close to hospitals, whereas Kashimpur jail is far from Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital.
“As a result, we frequently face difficulties dealing with seriously ill prisoners. If the required number of physicians, nurses and technicians are appointed, providing medical care to prisoners will become much easier,” she said.
An examination of documents showed that medical equipment and logistics worth a total of Tk 8 crore, 74 lakh, 29 thousand and 401 have so far been purchased for the hospital.
According to the documents, equipment worth Tk 2 crore, 23 lakh, 96 thousand and 806 was purchased for the radiology and imaging department.
Laboratory and pathology equipment was purchased for Tk 1 crore, 45 lakh, 86 thousand and 300, while machinery worth Tk 1 crore, 41 lakh, 10 thousand and 566 was purchased for the orthopaedic department.
Despite having a significant amount of medical equipment at the jail hospital, prisoners are frequently taken to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for treatment.
However, the medical college hospital also faces limitations in treating prisoners, as it does not have a dedicated ward for them.
Contacted, Kashimpur High Security Prison Superintendent Abdullah Al Mamun said several jail staff members who had completed their SSC in the science group subsequently obtained four-year diploma courses in nursing from the Armed Forces Medical College.
One of them has been appointed as a diploma nurse at the jail hospital. However, the shortage of physicians remains unresolved, he said.