Jamalpur hospital ICCU gathering dust, patients suffer

The four-bed Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) at the 250-bed Jamalpur General Hospital is collecting dust as it has been kept under lock and key since its inception, depriving critical heart patients of the required treatment day after day.

The ICCU, which was set up in the hospital in January of 2015, lacks man power including specialist doctors, nurses, and necessary medical apparatus which delayed the operation of the much needed unit, according to the hospital authority.

As a result, patients coming to the hospital with severe heart problems- including heart attacks- are referred to the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital or any hospital in Dhaka, as the on-duty doctors do not want to take any chance. Unfortunately, some patients lose the battle for their lives en route to the referred hospitals, the locals said.

When visited the area recently, locals vented their frustration. They also urged the concerned authorities to open the unit immediately.

Md Mujahid Billah Faruki, principal of Government Ashek Mahmud College, said that critical patients of heart diseases of this district need to travel to Mymensingh or Dhaka as the ICCU is not active here, adding: " The locals would get proper service if the Intensive Coronary Care Unit(ICCU) had been operational.''

Another local, Yusuf Ali, said: ''Patients suffering from complicated heart diseases are being frequently sent to outside of the district for better treatment. Some   patients died on their way adding that people of this district are being deprived of the proper treatment.''

Acknowledging the crisis, Assistant Director Profullah Kumar Saha of the hospital said: “The Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICU) is not yet operating yet due to the lack of manpower and several medical equipments. As soon as the crisis is solved, the ICCU will be active.''

Echoing the same, Dr. Goutam Roy, Civil Surgeon of Jamalpur said: ''We could not start the function of the ICCU yet due to the shortage of necessary manpower and medical instruments. We hope it will start operating soon.''

Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) provides constant observation as well as specialized medical and nursing care to the patients with complicated heart illness.