Published : 04 Aug 2026, 05:43 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:30 AM
A government-run hospital in Dhaka has seen a sharp surge in patients, stretching its doctors, beds and medicine supplies beyond capacity.
Patients have increased from around 100-150 a day to nearly 1,500 over the past two weeks at the Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital in Mirpur.
On Monday, every bed was occupied, forcing some patients to return home without admission.
Hospital officials say they are not equipped to handle such a large influx.
Stocks of free medicines that previously lasted a month are now being exhausted in a single day.
A visit on Monday afternoon found queues stretching from doctors' chambers to the hospital's main gate.
Corridors were packed with patients, many waiting for hours to receive prescriptions after consultations.
The 100-bed hospital charges Tk 10 for a doctor's consultation and hands out basic medicine free of charge.
Ayurvedic treatment runs on the ground floor, Unani treatment on the second, but officials and doctors say the recent influx has stretched services to breaking point.
Md Billal, who travelled from Bhola, said he had visited several government and private hospitals in the capital over the past six years without achieving a recovery.
He said he decided to seek homeopathic treatment at the Mirpur hospital after hearing about it and was satisfied after consulting a doctor.
Anisur Rahman, from Pallabi, arrived with spinal disc complications and other health problems but could not be admitted because no beds were available.
Alamgir Hossain, from Mugda, said he and his wife had been waiting an hour after collecting their ticket, with their turn yet to come.
"My body pain and my wife's diabetes have both gotten worse. We came for a doctor's advice here after I saw a video about the place on my phone," he added.
Mahbubur Rahman, who travelled from Gulshan, said he had taken numerous medicines for gastric issues and a slipped disc without relief, and came after learning about the hospital through a video.
No Beds Free
Hospital officials said around 30 to 40 patients were admitted two weeks ago; now all 100 beds are full, leaving no room for new admissions despite the surge in demand.
A senior hospital official said the crush of patients over the past fortnight had forced them to deploy eight extra staff at the ticket counter and as volunteers.
“We simply don't have the capacity to serve this many patients.”
"Previously, doctors would see 30 to 40 patients, now it's more than 130. With this pressure on so few staff, our service quality could suffer," the official added.
On the medicine shortage, the official said: "We can't buy medicine as we please. There's a fixed procedure for that, and no scope to go beyond it."
Therapy Services
The hospital provides acupuncture, Panchakarma, yoga and Hijama therapy.
Officials say the number of patients receiving acupuncture has climbed from about 10 a day to around 50.
Panchakarma therapy has doubled from five to 10 patients daily, while about 40 people now receive yoga therapy and around 20 undergo Hijama treatment.
Abu Sayeed, from Mohammadpur, said he had visited the hospital to enquire when a relative could receive Hijama therapy before bringing the patient.
Another senior official said specialised staff and more beds were needed to expand these therapies, adding that the hospital was already operating at full capacity.
An official speaking on condition of anonymity told bdnews24.com that salaries for 27 hospital employees have remained suspended since June 2024 following the cancellation of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Operation Plan, leaving them unpaid for over two years while continuing service delivery.
Medical Education
The Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College admits students every year through a competitive entrance examination.
It offers 25 seats each in the Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS) and Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) programmes, both regarded as equivalent to an MBBS degree.
Students must complete five years of study followed by a one-year internship.
Muslim Uddin, assistant professor and head of the BUMS programme, said applicants needed a combined GPA of at least 8.5 in their Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations.
He said graduates find jobs in pharmaceutical companies or pursue higher studies abroad, while students can obtain an MBBS-equivalent degree at relatively low cost with hostel facilities.
