The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

The Emergency Ward of Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital, the second largest hospital founded in 1820, is beset with problems, including eroded floors, lack of proper ventilation, insufficient medical equipment and absence of supply water and gas connection.

A big segment of people from the southern part of the city depend on this 1000-bed hospital. People from Keraniganj and from either sides of River Buriganga also come here for treatment

The Emergency Ward has only four rooms with dirty, cratered floors and no proper doors or windows. The rooms contain six shabby observation beds. Medical waste is carelessly thrown into metallic buckets. The only ventilation system is through some holes in the upper part of the brick wall in two rooms. The electric fans are suspended from the ceiling from iron rods and the ceiling itself looks dilapidated.

"We have to sprinkle water on the eroded floor of the corridor of the Emergency Ward 10 to 12 times a day to stop blowing of dust," said Khalilur Rahman, an employee of the ward.

MA Mazid, male nurse-in-charge of the emergency unit, said, "As you can see we have no environment to treat patients here. The area is covered with dust from the potholes in the corridor."

A large room has been divided into two with hardboard panelling, on one side is the living quarters of a leader of the Class Four employees. Sometimes when the family cooks the smell wafts into the emergency room through the holes on the hardboard, on duty doctors and nurses say.

"There is no way to sterilise equipment before use here, because we do not have any boiling water in the absence of gas supply. In the absence of supply water, we have to use spirit and soap and botled water to sterilize medical instruments, Mazid said.