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Published : 05 May 2026, 11:31 AM
Legal entanglements have prevented the Naria Upazila Health Complex in Shariatpur from opening its doors nearly two years after construction was completed.
The deadlock has left Upazila residents in a lurch, cut off from essential medical services.
On Monday, Upazila administrator (UNO) Md Abdul Kaiyum Khan said the contractor has yet to hand over the building because of a writ petition filed by lawyer Masudur Rahman Dewan.
He added that around 300,000 people in Naria are being deprived of healthcare, while prolonged inactivity has left the facility vulnerable.
According to the UNO, thieves broke into the vacant hospital on Friday night and stole equipment worth around Tk 3.7 million, including air conditioners, CCTV cameras, a generator and pathological equipment.
The 50-bed hospital was previously located in Mulfatganj, but most of the old structure was swallowed by the Padma River during the 2018 erosion.
This left residents across 14 Unions and one municipality struggling for medical care.
Following the disaster, the government moved to rebuild the facility on a 2.43-hectare site near the Upazila Parishad in Naria municipality.
Construction of the Tk 540 million project began in 2020 under the Department of Public Health Engineering and wrapped up on Sept 1, 2024.
Shariatpur Civil Surgeon Rehan Uddin explained that the hospital cannot be commissioned because lawyer Dewan, a resident of Kedarpur, filed a High Court petition demanding the hospital be restored to its original site.
Local residents Abul Kalam Rari and Milon Bepari said people continue to suffer due to the absence of services and urged authorities to resolve the legal complications quickly.
They also said public funds used for the project are being wasted as the unused facility is now vulnerable to theft and damage.
Naria Police chief Md Bahar Mia said a general diary (GD) has been filed by Assistant Engineer Debabrata Howladar of the health engineering department over the theft, adding that legal steps will follow if a case is registered.
Ahsan Habib, Shariatpur health engineering department executive engineer, said preparations are under way to file a formal case.
Police believe the hospital’s vacant state amid the legal dispute creates an opportunity for theft, resulting in the loss of equipment from the facility.
