Halima Akter is a resident of Jurain in the capital. She has been suffering from kidney complications for a long time. Earlier this month, after visiting several hospitals, she went to the country’s only specialized hospital for kidney diseases, the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology (NIKDU). However, she has several complaints about the quality of service. Of the seven medicines prescribed by the doctor, she only received two from the hospital. She was also told that various tests would be done with syringes and other supplies, but she received nothing and had to purchase them from outside.

Due to the shortage of medicines and medical equipment, most patients seeking treatment at NIKDU are forced to visit pharmacies outside. Although the hospital authorities announced the supply of 102 types of medicines, only 20-25 medicines are available. The authorities state that due to a lack of allocation, the country’s largest kidney hospital cannot provide the required number of medicines. Currently, only 3 percent of the demand is being met with medicines from the hospital, and the remaining 97 percent has to be bought externally.

Documents show that the demand for medicines at NIKDU for the current fiscal year was BDT 380 million. However, the institute has only purchased BDT 12.5 million worth of medicines so far.

Government hospitals primarily procure medicines in two ways—through the Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) and tenders. NIKDU placed a demand for BDT 130 million worth of medicines from EDCL this fiscal year but received only BDT 6.32 million worth. On the other hand, the demand for medicines through tenders was BDT 250 million, but only BDT 6.23 million worth was purchased.

Thousands of patients visit NIKDU’s outpatient department daily, with 500 beds for inpatient treatment. The hospital is responsible for providing medicines and medical supplies to these patients. A signboard is displayed at the hospital indicating what services patients will receive and the service fees. It also mentions that 102 types of medicines will be provided free of charge to patients.

Recently, a conversation was held with an elderly man named Redwan near the hospital’s medicine collection room. He said that doctors prescribed five medicines for him, but the hospital only provided one. When asked about the other medicines, he said, “After waiting for a long time, I was able to see the doctor. Getting even one medicine now is a lot. Although according to the rules, all medicines should be provided by the hospital. Now, if they don’t give them, what can we do?”

Talking to other patients revealed that the shortage of medical supplies at NIKDU is also severe. Afrin Akter, who visited the hospital yesterday (Thursday, January 9) for her mother’s kidney tests, was told, “There are no syringes for drawing blood. Please buy them from outside.” Many patients admitted to the hospital also have to buy many medicines and medical supplies from outside, according to their relatives.

When contacted, a senior official at the hospital, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Bonik Barta, “The allocation for purchasing medicines is very low. The hospital has been facing this issue for the last 10 fiscal years. Every year, a list of required medicines is submitted. Separate demands are made for EDCL and for tender-based procurement. But our allocation is not increased. As a result, we cannot procure 97 percent of the medicines we need.”

Many patients have also expressed dissatisfaction with the various tests at the hospital. When speaking to several patients, they mentioned that they had to wait in long lines for any test, particularly for the Ultrasonography test, which causes much inconvenience. Due to the hospital’s daily capacity of only 50 ultrasounds, many patients have to leave without getting tested.

Abu Ahmed Al Mamun, NIKDU’s Deputy Director, openly acknowledged the shortage of medicines and other challenges. Speaking to Bonik Barta, he said, “It’s true that we can only provide a very small amount of medicines to meet the demand. However, we have started working to address this issue. We will call for tenders for medicines within this month.”

He also acknowledged the inconvenience faced by patients regarding ultrasounds, stating, “We can do 50 ultrasounds in the outpatient department daily and 80 in total, including indoor and special cases. If we could do 120-130, it would be a relief. We are trying to increase this capacity. However, we are satisfied with our capabilities in other tests.”