The patient load at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) has nearly doubled over the past five years. At the 2,200-bed facility, doctors and healthcare workers are struggling to manage overwhelming crowds in the outpatient department, emergency unit, and wards on a daily basis. With limited infrastructure and manpower, the excessive patient pressure is pushing healthcare services into crisis, stakeholders say.
Compared to 2020, patients in the emergency department increased by 91 percent in 2025 —almost doubling, according to hospital data. During the same period, outpatient visits rose by 52 percent, while the number of admitted patients in wards increased by 65 percent. On average, around 3,836 patients currently receive treatment daily in the outpatient department, 1,141 in the emergency unit, and 829 in the wards. At the same time, an average of about 37 patients die each day while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Experts warn that without rapid expansion of infrastructure and an increase in manpower, the facility’s healthcare management will come under greater pressure. They also stress the need to improve the quality of services at upazila-level health complexes. To bring meaningful change in healthcare, they argue, not only infrastructure development but also reforms in management and stronger government commitment are crucial.
Public health expert and physician, freedom fighter Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, told Banik Barta, “Despite doubling the number of patients at CMCH in recent years, decentralised healthcare services haven’t developed proportionately. As a result, even when treatment such as medicine, surgery, gynaecology, ENT, etc. is available at the upazila level, patients are still heading to CMCH. This trend creates additional pressure on the wards. That’s why, to address this issue, priority must be given to strengthening upazila and peripheral hospitals first of all.”
He added, “Why shouldn’t the patient load in Chattogram city remain at the General Hospital? Why must everything fall on Chattogram Medical? To improve healthcare services in this region, General Hospital must be upgraded. As a result, patients will get confidence in those facilities, and the pressure will be shared. Initiatives should also be taken to build new specialised hospitals. At the same time, incentives and facilities must be increased to encourage doctors to work in rural areas. But the major challenge is to keep doctors at the upazila-level postings. So, along with ensuring presence as per service conditions, the government must provide adequate incentives and transportation facilities to upazila-level doctors.”
In 2025, a total of 1,093,368 patients received treatment at the CMCH outpatient department, according to hospital data. This means an average of 3,836 patients were treated daily. In contrast, 531,187 patients received treatment in the outpatient department in 2020, with a daily average of 1,897 patients. Over five years, the number of outpatient cases increased by 562,181, or 52.42 percent.
In the emergency department, 218,248 patients received treatment in 2020, averaging 598 patients per day. However, in 2025, for the first time in the hospital’s history, the number exceeded 400,000, reaching 416,422 patients, with a daily average of 1,141. This represents an increase of 198,174 patients, or 91 percent, over five years.
Similarly, the number of admitted patients in the wards stood at 196,766 in 2020, with a daily average of 538 admissions. In 2025, a record 302,647 patients were admitted to various wards, with a daily average of 829. This marks an increase of 105,881 patients, or 65 percent, over five years.
Meanwhile, in 2025, a total of 13,350 patients died while undergoing treatment, which translates to an average of around 37 deaths per day. Data from the past five years show that between 37 and 41 patients die daily at the hospital.
Brigadier General Mohammed Taslim Uddin, director of the hospital, told Banik Barta, “Chattogram Medical College Hospital is the primary healthcare destination for millions of people in the Chattogram division. The number of patients is increasing every year. Despite infrastructural limitations and a shortage of doctors relative to demand, physicians are providing the best possible care. Doctors are even performing duties on holidays.”
He added, “The hospital’s annual budget is BDT 1.98 billion, most of which is spent on medicines and doctors’ salaries. It also covers patients’ meals and operational costs. Although patient numbers here are higher than in many other medical colleges in the country, the hospital’s budget remains comparatively low.”
He further noted that although doctors are assigned to various wards, their numbers are insufficient relative to the patient load. “We’ve repeatedly written to the authorities seeking increased budget allocations and the recruitment or posting of new doctors. Considering the growing number of patients, work is underway on new infrastructure, including the relocation of wards, a burn unit, and a new cancer hospital. Patient suffering and pressure on the hospital will be reduced after the facilities become operational.”
A visit to CMC revealed that several times more patients than the bed capacity in wards 8 and 9 (paediatric wards) are receiving treatment. Alongside a separate ward for measles patients, there have been beds set up outside the ward to provide services for children, starting from the bottom of the ward and next to the stairs. Similar overcrowding is evident in cardiology, orthopaedics, and other wards, where patients far exceed available beds. On-duty doctors are struggling to manage the additional patient load.
Doctors said that they provide treatment to patients beyond the ward capacity at CMCH for most of the year. The hospital serves as the last resort for healthcare for millions of people in the region. The treatment cost at private hospitals is unaffordable for the general public. The regular presence of specialist doctors in different wards also draws patients to CMCH. Additionally, lower treatment costs and comparatively cheaper diagnostic tests are major reasons behind the high patient influx. However, the core issue is the lack of improved healthcare services at the upazila level. As a result, patients often bypass local facilities and come directly to CMCH even for minor treatments. They emphasised the need for recruiting more doctors, nurses, ward assistants, and other support staff, along with the rapid completion of ongoing infrastructure projects.
Regarding the overall situation, Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi, director of Chattogram Divisional Health Directorate, told Banik Barta, “Doctors at CMCH are continuing to provide services despite immense patient pressure. Plans such as constructing new hospitals in Hathazari and Patenga, upgrading the 50-bed hospital in Karnaphuli to a 250-bed facility, and building a hospital in Faujdarhat are still stuck at the planning stage. Efforts to expand services at the General Hospital are also awaiting approval at the ministry level.”
He added that a new government has taken office and is expected to prioritise improving healthcare services in Chattogram. “We’re continuously urging the higher authorities. We hope a solution will be reached soon,” he said.