Most sanctioned positions of medical staff lay vacant at the District Headquarter Hospitals (DHQs) monitored in July, with 14 out of the observed 20 having less than 70% occupancy rate, according to a Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) report.
FAFEN observers who visited 71 DHQs in several districts to assess the standards of healthcare at these hospitals were denied information on the sanctioned and appointed posts of medical staff at a number of health facilities.
The scene was comparatively better for paramedical, administrative and support staff, both in terms of transparency and occupancy rates.
It further revealed the absence of specialized services at these health facilities.
Most patients are referred to DHQs for specialized treatment. In June, 4,055 of them were referred to the hospitals monitored. However, a lack of staff and equipment meant that they had to seek treatment in private clinics and hospitals, thus defying the very purpose of DHQs.
Around 58 hospitals had no psychiatry services while another 41 did not have physiotherapy facilities; 37 were without chest specialists; 32 lacked cardiology services; 31 offered no orthopedic care and 26 operated without ENT specialists.
Similarly, FAFEN monitors reported that radiology services were non-existent at 19 DHQs, 14 were without dental, gynecology and obstetrics services; 12 had no pathology and pediatric departments and seven lacked surgery units.
On the positive side, all monitored hospitals had wards for in-patients, emergency wards for out-patients and x-ray rooms and laboratories.
Around 69 DHQs had dental and operation rooms; 67 had labor rooms; ophthalmology facilities and blood banks existed in 60 hospitals, while 66 had generators for power backup.
Around 64 of the 71 DHQ buildings were in a good condition; 69 had boundary walls and proper roads that connected all the monitored hospitals.
All DHQs had electricity, 69 had working fans; telephones were available in 67 hospitals and gas was available in 36 facilities. Except for two hospitals, all had medicines at the in-house pharmacies.
Clean drinking water was available at 58 health facilities while as many hospitals had running water in washrooms. Around 60 DHQs had residential quarters for staff on hospital premises and another 60 had these for doctors.
Government/elected officials paid 49 visits to 71 health facilities ignoring at least 22. Of the total visits, EDO/Health made 24. Most of these were supervisory/general visits, others routine visits, and a few were meant to assess the quality of health services.
