This year, with Eid and the weekend combined, working professionals are getting a nine-day holiday. To ensure uninterrupted healthcare services during this long break, hospitals have set up special schedules for doctors, nurses, and staff. A quick visit at hospitals in the capital reveals that preparations are in place to provide medical services during the holiday. However, patients and their families claim that government hospitals are offering only limited services, with emergency care being the main focus.
While outpatient departments will remain closed, hospital authorities have confirmed that emergency units will stay open. Even specialized hospitals like the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, the National Institute of Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute of Neurosciences are providing limited services. Many patients complain that doctors and nurses are often unavailable during the Eid holidays, hospital pharmacies run low on medicine, and even emergency departments sometimes lack doctors.
Healthcare experts stress that certain medical conditions, such as heart attacks and strokes, require immediate attention. That is why, in addition to specialized hospitals, emergency services should remain available in general hospitals as well. Patients undergoing kidney dialysis are also heavily affected, as they need dialysis two to three times a week. These patients often face the biggest challenges during long holidays.
Authorities at the National Institute of Kidney Diseases & Urology (NIKDU), however, have assured that treatments will continue as usual throughout the Eid holiday. The emergency department will operate as normal. To keep services running smoothly, doctors and nurses have been given their holiday breaks in a coordinated manner, both before and after Eid. As a result, dialysis patients will not face any disruptions. However, outpatient services will remain closed for three days.
Earlier, on March 18, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued 16 directives to ensure uninterrupted hospital operations during the holidays. The instructions include ensuring an adequate number of doctors in emergency units, keeping emergency rooms, labor wards, operating theaters, and laboratories running 24/7, and scheduling staff leave in a coordinated manner before and after Eid to maintain sufficient workforce in hospitals.
Many people choose Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for affordable yet quality healthcare. With a large number of doctors, nurses, and extensive medical services, patients rush there for treatment of all kinds. To ensure uninterrupted care during the long Eid holiday, DMCH has arranged for sufficient staff, said the hospital’s Director, Brigadier General Md Asaduzzaman.
He confirmed that the hospital is well-prepared for Eid, with more than 1,000 staff members including 150 doctors, 500 nurses, and other employees on duty each day during the holiday. The supply of essential medicines has also been ensured.
Other major hospitals in the capital, such as Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, the National Institute of Ophthalmology, and the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest & Hospital, will also operate under special arrangements to provide continuous healthcare. Doctors have been assigned special shifts to ensure patient care remains uninterrupted.
When asked, Professor Dr. Delwar Hossain, Director of the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest & Hospital, told Bonik Barta, “Our outpatient department will remain closed for only three days. However, critical surgeries will continue as usual. We’ve divided shifts for doctors and nurses working during Eid so that admitted patients do not face any difficulties. Additionally, all activities of our emergency department will remain closed.”
Public health experts point out that road accidents tend to increase during Eid. However, due to a shortage of doctors, many injured patients struggle to receive timely treatment. They emphasize the importance of monitoring local health complexes and ensuring the presence of doctors and nurses to handle medical emergencies efficiently.
Dr. Md Abul Kenan, Director of the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), told Bonik Barta, “Our outpatient department will remain closed for only three days. Other than that, all services will continue as usual. We still have patients admitted here who were injured during the July mass uprising, and we are ensuring they don’t face any difficulties. On Eid day, we’ve also arranged special meals for them.”
In previous years, there were complaints that even when patients were in critical condition, nurses and doctors were not always available, and essential medicines were sometimes hard to find. To address this, divisional hospitals and healthcare centers outside Dhaka have also made special arrangements during the Eid holidays.
Rangpur Medical College Hospital has taken several measures to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services during the long break. Dr. Safura Khatun, head of the gynecology department, told Bonik Barta, “We have coordinated with all four units of the gynecology department to prepare a duty roster that will keep services running for five days during Eid. Mid-level and intern doctors will take turns on duty, while unit heads will continue patient admissions as scheduled. We have also made all necessary arrangements for emergency treatments and surgeries.”
In Barishal, Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital has arranged to keep all services running except for the outpatient department. According to hospital authorities, emergency departments, operation theaters, ICUs, CCUs, and inpatient care will all remain fully functional.
Brigadier General Dr. AKM Moshiul Munir, Director of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, told Bonik Barta, “Our hospital will operate as usual during the Eid holidays. We have prepared a duty roster of 382 doctors, nurses, and staff to ensure uninterrupted service. This team will keep all wards, regular operation theaters, ICUs, CCUs, and the kidney dialysis unit running 24/7. Only the outpatient department will be closed during this period.”
Meanwhile, the operation theater at Bogura’s Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital will also remain open during Eid, though the outpatient department will be closed. Hospital authorities confirmed that nearly all other departments will remain operational.
When asked, the hospital’s Deputy Director, Dr. Abdul Wadud, said that all emergency operations and routine hospital services would continue as usual. “We have prepared an advance duty list specifying which doctors will be on call. Surgeries will proceed accordingly, and special arrangements have been made for non-urgent procedures,” he added.
This report was prepared with contributions from Bogura correspondent Abdul Alim, along with correspondents from Rangpur and Barishal.