Kamal Hossain, Khulna
The Koyra-Bedkashi sub-health center in Khulna’s Koyra upazila is in a bad condition. There is no building, doctor or nurse. Since there is no doctor for a long time, every patient is seen by the pharmacist. The residents of Koyra and Uttor Bedkashi Union are deprived of medical services. Due to lack of means, they have to rely on the pharmacist for the first treatment.

According to Upazila Health Complex sources, as the health complex is 15 km away from the upazila city, thousands of people in this region were deprived of health services. In 1982, the government established this sub-health center at the last border of Koyra Union, thinking about the helpless and deprived patients. Not only Koyra Bedkashi, people of Shyamnagar upazila also come here for treatment. At present the post of Medical Officer is vacant for 2 years and the post of Sub-Assistant Community Medical Officer is vacant for 6 years. There is a nurse but there is no doctor, so he is in the upazila health complex. The sub-health center is running with a pharmacist.

Going to the sub health center, it was seen that there is a half-baked building with three rooms. The tin canopy is rusted and has a few gaps. The sky is visible. The plaster of the wall has fallen. The floor is cracked. The bathroom is also abandoned. Dilapidated bathroom door, pan, house broken. Which is not possible to use. There is no way to understand everything, it is a sub-health center. Still, a man sits in a dilapidated room looking after the patient. Some patients are sitting on the bench next to him. On entering, it was known that he is not a doctor, but a pharmacist. His name is Shasanko Kumar Roy.

Shasanko Roy said that, there was a medical officer named Progga Labani, but he did not come here. He was transferred 2 years ago. No doctor came immediately. As there is no doctor, I see the patients. I can’t sit well either. There are 37 types of medicine. They are given to the patients. I give first aid.

Abul Hossain (55) of Kathmarchar village of North Bedkashi Union who came for treatment said that he cannot get good treatment due to lack of money. If I have any illness I come to this hospital for treatment and medicine. But there are no good doctors here either. It is forced to show the person who lives here to take medicine. Sometimes it is good and sometimes there is a big problem.

Bimal Mandal of Hajatkhali village said, “I went to the health center for treatment when I had symptoms of diarrhea a couple of months ago. When I reached there, I found that there was no toilet. I was forced to use the toilet of a nearby primary school.

Koyra Union Parishad Chairman SM Baharul Islam said, the health center was built on the land of late Abdul Wahab Sheikh. The center as it was set up is still there today. There has been no development. Even today, no new buildings have been built. The existing tin building is now unusable. It is essential to have proper doctors and a two-storey building for the treatment of the people of Koira, North Bedkashi and South Bedkashi Union as well as Patakhali Union of neighboring upazilas.

Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Nurul Huda Khan said, the condition of this sub-health center is very fragile. The sub health center is usually a two storied building but there is no building here. The post of medical officer is also vacant for a long time. Recommendations have been sent to the recruiting authority for seeking medical officer and new building.