Families of children infected with measles at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal have alleged that they are not receiving adequate healthcare services during Eid holidays, as the hospital struggles with an overwhelming number of patients and a shortage of medical staff.

At around 11:00am, this correspondent visited the hospital’s Child Ward-1 on the second floor and found a patient’s relative, Oliullah Bepari, eating puffed rice beside the hospital corridor.

A resident of Lakshmipur village under Memania union in Hizla upazila of Barishal, he said he admitted his measles-infected grandson to the hospital on May 26. Failing to get a bed in the main ward, they were forced to stay in the corridor.

“As all shops outside are closed for Eid, I am surviving on puffed rice brought from home,” he said.

Alleging negligence, he added, “As we are staying in the corridor, the hospital authorities are not providing us proper medicines or services. Nobody has come to see us since morning.”

In another corner of the corridor, a relative of a patient named Mintu said his three-month-old child, Mosammat Muslima, died around 10:00am.

“She developed breathing complications from pneumonia, and doctors advised us to bring her to the hospital,” he said.

Kabir Hawlader, a farmer from Dashmina in Barguna district, brought his six-year-old daughter Maliha to the hospital three days ago.

“My daughter only opened her eyes today, but the doctors have already removed her name from the patient list,” he alleged.

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The child’s mother, Nasima Begum, said, “My child is still vomiting, but suddenly the doctors discharged her. We did not receive even a single tablet from the hospital and had to buy all medicines from outside. I do not know what medicines I should continue giving her after returning home.”

Most relatives interviewed by this correspondent alleged that they were not receiving adequate treatment or proper guidance from hospital staff. Many said they chose to remain in the hospital during Eid out of fear that their children’s conditions could worsen after returning home.

One patient’s relative said, “The nurses leave thermometers with us and ask us to measure and report the temperature ourselves. How are we supposed to do that? They often behave this way with us.”

Nurses on duty at the children’s ward said the 20-bed ward currently has 103 patients, including 33 children infected with measles.

“We are only seven nurses trying somehow to keep healthcare services running during Eid,” one of them said.

The hospital’s paediatric department said three patients had died in the ward since yesterday, including two pneumonia patients and one measles patient.

Refusing to disclose her name, a nurse in charge of the ward said, “There are certainly some problems here. We are only seven nurses. How can we manage so many patients? We are trying our best. Patients will naturally complain when they do not get services. We cannot satisfy everyone.”

Professor Bikash Chandra Nag, head of the paediatrics department, said the Eid duty roster began yesterday.

“Normally, we treat around 130 to 140 patients every day. Even on Eid day, the admission rate remains nearly the same. On May 26, there were 57 patients in the department. I do not think the number of fever patients has decreased, but we do not even have a statistician to confirm that,” he said.

“Although the number of patients remains unchanged, the number of doctors and nurses has dropped to one-fourth of the normal level during Eid. Somehow, we are managing to keep healthcare services functioning,” he added.

Meanwhile, the hospital authorities arranged polao, meat, and eggs for patients at lunch.

While many visitors appreciated the improved meal arrangement, several guardians said they were more concerned about the condition of their children than the quality of food.

“We have received polao and meat but have not received proper treatment," said some of relatives of the patients.

Earlier, the health minister cancelled the leaves of healthcare workers across the country during Eid amid the measles outbreak.