Jahirul Islam of Natunpara village took his pregnant wife Jarina Begum to Kalapara Upazila Health Complex with severe labour pain on March 12.

"Although there is no gynaecologist at the hospital, the on-duty doctor did not refer my wife to another hospital. Instead, he asked me to admit her there," said a tearful Jahirul.

After giving birth to a stillborn baby the same night Jarina also breathed her last after a couple of hours for lack of proper treatment facilities there, he said.

Like Jarina, many expectant mothers are not getting proper treatment due to lack of specialised physicians at all the six upazila health complexes.

“No caesarean operation was conducted at Kalapara Health Complex since 2015 after its lone gynaecologist was prompted as civil surgeon of Jhalakathi,” Kalapara Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Chinmoy Hawlader said.

Pregnant women now have to go to 50-bed Patuakhali General Hospital or Barisal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital, which is very difficult for the patients, he said.

Although, there is a well equipped Operation Theatre (OT) at Kalapara Upazila Health Complex, it remains inoperative as the posts of gynaecologist and anaesthetist are lying vacant since 2015, he added.

As many guardians do not have the ability to bear the treatment cost in Patuakhali or Barisal, the patients suffer at local health complexes and die there in the end, he said. 

According to Patuakhali civil surgeon's office, out of 18 posts, those of eight gynaecologist and same number of anaesthetists are lying vacant in all six upazila health complexes and 20-bed Kuakata Hospital and Patuakhali General Hospital.

In 2017, as many as 13 maternal deaths occurred at Patuakhali General Hospital while the numbers of stillborn children was 107.