health Adviser Noorjahan Begum conducted an extensive visit to various wards of Chittagong Medical College & Hospital (CMCH), pausing to interact closely with patients and listen to their concerns.
Her tour, which lasted approximately one and a half hours, saw her engaging with patients in both the regional dialect and standard language, assuring them of solutions to their issues.
The adviser arrived at CMCH at 8:20am on Monday (4 November), and proceeded to visit numerous wards until around 10AM, after which she held a discussion meeting with hospital officials.
Following the visit, she addressed the media, responding to various queries about patient care and hospital management.
When asked about allegations of patient harassment at the hospital, Noorjahan Begum explained, "CMCH is a 2,200-bed hospital, but it accommodates over 3,500 patients—naturally, this causes challenges. Allegations of extra charges and other complaints are present, but discussions with doctors and staff have highlighted the shared responsibility of the government in these issues. For instance, outsourced third- and fourth-grade staff have not received their salaries for the past three to four months, as budget approvals for these payments are still pending."
"Once approved, these staff members will again receive their wages through government funding. Currently, some staff are compelled to take nominal amounts from patients to sustain themselves due to unpaid salaries. This should not be the case, and the payment process needs to be revised to ensure year-round budget allocations," SHE ADDED.
The health adviser further noted the shortage of doctors, nurses, and technologists at the hospital, acknowledging that these issues could not be resolved overnight.
"Approximately 1,200 to 1,500 patients arrive daily, some of whom are admitted to wards while others are sent to alternative facilities. A proper referral system, selecting patients who genuinely require tertiary care, could relieve this burden. Although community clinics exist at the union level, they lack sufficient doctors. Problems also persist at Upazila and district hospitals, where resources are inconsistent. Comprehensive healthcare requires doctors, technicians, and equipment, and it is a collective effort that we must all strive to achieve," she added.
Addressing recent media reports on alleged deaths due to medical negligence, Noorjahan Begum questioned the basis of such reports, asking, "Are you certain that the patients died due to medical errors? Such reports can stir public agitation and create misunderstandings, which we all wish to avoid. Responsible reporting can foster better relations between patients, hospitals, and the public. I urge that any genuine injustices be investigated and that the responsible parties face accountability. However, no one should be unfairly blamed."
Present during the visit were CMCH Director Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin and other hospital officials.
