Critical patients do not receive any treatment at the Shahid Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College and Hospital here due to the lack of an intensive care unit.

According to sources, the 250-bed hospital has recently been upgraded to a 500-bed treatment facility. At the same time, it has been promoted to a medical college. Many critical  patients come here for treatment from the five upazilas of the district and even  from neighbouring districts. But the hospital authorities still have to refer them to Dhaka for the lack of ICU

facilities.

Although the place is ready for a 10-bed ICU, but facilities cannot be started due to lack of necessary manpower and equipment. An associate professor and an assistant professor are needed to launch  the ICU. Apart from this, five assistant registrars are also needed instead of the current one.

Hospital director Dr Amir Hossain Rahat said that the Prime Minister had directed them to set up ICUs in hospitals in each district. Besides, the High Court (HC) had given a directive in this regard. "We have already reported the matter to the ministry concerned and applied for the purchase of machinery. I hope we will get  good news about this very soon," he added.

He said, though it is a 500-bed hospital, only 400 beds are available. "We cannot provide  beds to patients every day. As a result, patients have to stay on the floor or corridor. However, infrastructure development is underway for the 15-storey hospital to resolve this problem," he added.