Fire hazards, abandoned rural clinics, illegal hospital conversions and a broken oxygen plant are exposing deep failures in Bangladesh’s healthcare system, according to recent reports from several districts.
Ad-Din Hospital is operating without fire service approval because its entrance road is narrower than the required 20 feet, according to a fire safety consultant. The consultant said the road would prevent fire trucks from reaching the facility. Safety experts have urged the government to create a dedicated enforcement cell and require hospitals to make corrections in stages.
In Naogaon, officials have locked and abandoned the Hasaigari Union Health and Family Welfare Center despite working electricity and intact infrastructure. Residents of 16 villages must travel 25 to 30 kilometers, or about 16 to 19 miles, for maternal care, family planning services and vaccinations. Golam Mohammad Azam, the district’s deputy director of family planning, told journalists, “I will file a case against you.”
In Chattogram, the Chattogram Development Authority found private hospitals had converted approved parking areas into warehouses, garbage sites and storage areas for flammable oxygen cylinders. Patients and relatives instead park on streets, worsening traffic congestion.
At Barguna General Hospital, an oxygen plant donated by Egypt in 2021 has remained broken since 2022. The hospital now imports liquid oxygen from India, adding at least 500,000 taka (approximately $4,047) in monthly costs. Officials said repeated requests to the ministry have produced no effective action.