Charity hospital struggling to stay afloat

Joynal Abedin, a resident of Mymensingh Sadar upazila, established a charity hospital -- Momtaz Hospital -- with his life's savings to provide medical support to poor people in his locality and other neighbouring villages.

However, since his death two years ago, the hospital has been struggling to remain afloat, reeling from a fund crisis.

There has been no financial support from any corner for the hospital and if this situation lingers it would no longer be possible to run it, said Joynal's grandson Mahmudul Hasan.

Joynal, who used to work as a rickshaw puller in Dhaka, established the hospital naming it after his daughter at his house in Taan Hasadia village in 2001.

He used to spend a portion of his income for his family and the rest was used in buying medicine for the hospital, said Joynal's wife Lal Banu.

Joynal was titled as a "Sada Moner Manush" (Man with a golden heart) in 2008 for his exceptional initiative.

Lal Banu said they started getting donations from affluent individuals after a report titled "Hope-maker" was published in The Daily Star in 2011.

At present, no MBBS doctor is assigned to the hospital due to financial strains. A village medical practitioner visits the hospital three days a week for free.

The hospital offers primary treatment to around 50 patients daily while handing out free medication including pain killers, saline, paracetamol, antacid and deworming tablets.

"The hospital needs some Tk 40,000 per month to bear its operational cost and my expatriate son Jahid Hasan has been trying desperately to manage the money," informed Lal Banu.

The poor patients from Hasadia, Foliamari, Hiron Polashia, Mirkandapara, Nayapara, Char Sirta, Baula, Bahir Char, Char Kharicha, Paranganj and Abdullahpur villages visit the hospital daily, said Joynal's nephew Ashiqur Rahman.

Residents of those villages still respect Joynal's initiative and it will be sad if the hospital will not be able to continue, one of the villagers Moyna Bibi said.

Paranganj Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Abu Hanifa said Joynal's initiative has been supporting the rural people, mostly living below the poverty line.

Affluent people and organisations should come forward to support this noble initiative, he added.