The National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s sole comprehensive burn centre, is straining under acute staff and drug shortages even as patient numbers rise daily.

Approved posts for doctors, nurses and support workers remain heavily vacant, forcing the existing workforce to absorb the extra load. A prolonged shortage of medicines has deepened the strain, hampering everything from emergency response to routine care. Relatives must buy life‑saving drugs from private pharmacies, delaying treatment and inflating costs — a heavy burden for low- and lower‑middle‑income households.

The institute is the country’s only full‑fledged specialised burn unit. Severely burned patients now receive advanced care that once often required travel abroad. During major fires or industrial accidents, it plays an indispensable national role.

Multiple doctors said shortages of essential drugs have grown acute over the past several months. The supply gaps compel patients to purchase vital medicines themselves, making treatment even less affordable for poorer families. In many cases, therapy remains incomplete because households cannot cover the full prescription.

Nine‑year‑old Naol received emergency treatment after hot oil fell on his leg and scalded it. His father, Shariful Hasan, told Bonik Barta: “My boy suffered burns after hot oil spilled onto his leg. I brought him to the emergency department. The nurses and doctors treated him with real sincerity. We had to buy painkillers, bandages and a number of other medical supplies from outside.”

Those concerned say resolving the medicine crisis first needs a demand‑driven plan. The institute must analyse yearly patient numbers and disease profiles to purchase and stockpile medicines in advance. Procurement and supply systems also require greater transparency and speed to stop tender complications or bureaucratic delays from disrupting the flow of drugs.

The latest health bulletin from the Directorate General of Health Services shows that NIBPS handled 85,179 outpatient visits in 2024, 16,571 emergency attendances and 6,735 admissions. Surgeons performed 11,302 operations. The institute’s 500 beds recorded 100 percent occupancy throughout the year.

A year earlier, outpatient visits numbered 72,152, emergency attendances 12,912 and admissions 6,065. All 500 beds were again fully occupied for the entire year.

The increased caseload has fallen on a workforce that has barely expanded. NIBPS has 468 sanctioned posts for doctors; only 242 are filled, leaving 226 — nearly half the posts — vacant.

Nursing shortages are equally acute. Of 656 sanctioned nursing posts, 525 are filled but 69 nurses are on study leave, 12 are on deputation to other hospitals, 10 are long absent and 25 on maternity leave. Just 409 nurses are currently on duty — a deficit of 247. The institute’s 20 intensive-care beds require at least 60 nurses but only 23 are assigned.

Maruful Islam, the institute’s joint director, told Bonik Barta: “We have been dealing with a medicine shortage for some time. Some drugs are procured via tender from outside. That supply took time to arrive, causing the crisis.” He added: “Our intern doctors are also treating patients. We have many constraints. We’re trying to resolve them and, within our means, we’re striving to give patients full care.”