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The people of Jhalakati are being deprived of proper healthcare service for want of sufficient number of physicians and nurses at different government hospitals in the district.
   A total of 59 posts of medical officers out of 90 have been lying vacant for long causing immense sufferings to the patients.
   Presently, 31 doctors performing their duties against the 90 posts are struggling to cope with healthcare service for about 8 lakh people in four upazilas of the district.
   According to sources in the Jhalakati civil surgeon’s office, there is a general hospital, three health complexes in Nalchity, Rajapur and Kanthalia upazilas, one 10-bed hospital in Kirtipasha union of sadar upazila, five sub-health complexes and 46 community clinics in the districts.
   There are 10 posts of Physicians at Jhalakati General Hospital, eight posts at Nalchity Upazila Health Complex, five at Kanthalia Upazila Health Complex and five at Rajapur Upazila Health Complex. Moreover, 31 posts in 46 community hospitals are also lying vacant.
   The residential medical officer of Jhalakati General Hospital, Dr Nowsher Ali, said the government has upgraded the 50-bed Jhalakati General Hospital to an 100-bed one without making any additional recruitment of physicians, nurses and other medical staff.
   Thirteen out of 23 posts of physicians and 12 out of 16 posts of sweepers are lying vacant in the hospital, he added.
   The Kirtipasha sub-health complex is running without any electric and water supply lines.
   The 31-bed Nalchity Upazila Health Complex has been upgraded to a 50-bed one but it is still running with the previous manpower.
   Eight out of 15 posts of physicians have remained vacant in the hospital, said Dr Nazrul Islam, upazila health and family planning officer.
   Besides crisis of beds, the hospital faces shortage of water and electricity and the lone X-ray machine in it has been lying inoperative for the last few days.
   The UHFPO, Dr Arobindo Kumar Dey, said they had to treat both outdoor and indoor patients at the Kanthalia Upazila Health Complex, although there were only four doctors against nine in the hospital.
   ’Sometimes, attendants of patients become annoyed with us as we fail to give them proper attention,’ he said.
   Almost the same condition is prevailing at Rajapur Upazila Health Complex which is running with only four out of nine doctors.
   When contacted, Dr Guru Das Sikdar, civil surgeon of Jhalakathi, acknowledging the facts, said they were trying their best to provide the required health service to the people despite shortage of doctors.
   ‘We have urged the higher authorities several times to fill up the vacant posts but they are yet to appoint any physicians and nurses,’ he said.

The mosque-based children and mass education project in Natore has brought a great success in the country’s education sector.
   The Islamic Foundation is implementing the project introduced by the religious affairs ministry in 1992.
   KM Munirul Islam, deputy director of the Islamic Foundation, Natore, informed that at present 14 ,475 children and adults were being given education on Bangla, English and maths at 455 centres in six upazilas of the district.
   They are also receiving religious education under the project. All sorts of teaching material are supplied to the learners free of cost.
   After receiving this year-long education, the children can become fit to receive education at the government and non-government primary schools.
   After completion of the 3rd phase in 2005, the 4th phase (2006-2008) of the project is now under implementation with a target of educating 29,37,600 children and adults by the year 2015 across the country.
   Up to the 3rd phase, (1992-2005), a total of 74,325 people were taught, of which 53 965 children were given pre-primary education, 1,775 adults general education while 18,585 people were taught the holy Quran in the district.
   All of the learners were family members of poor farmers, labourers, porters, fishermen who were underprivileged. Three hundred and thirty-five trained imams work as teachers in the project. Each of them is given additional Tk 1,200 per month as honorarium for teaching.
   These imams are also playing an important role in awareness building about dowry, violence against women, child marriage, human trafficking, smocking, HIV/AIDS, immunisation, tree plantation and other socio-economic issues.
   Six model resource centres and additional 13 general resource centres have been set up in six upazilas of the district so that the learners of the project can put their knowledge into practice.
   To ensure smooth operation of the project, a district level monitoring committee headed by the deputy commission and a upazila level monitoring committee headed by the upazila nirbahi officer have been formed.
   Moreover, the education project is under supervision of the field officers, supervisors, master trainers and the caretakers of the model and general resource centres.
   The local elites think that it will be possible to build an ‘illiteracy free’ Bangladesh by the year 2015 if this type of education system continues.

A man was sued in Jessore on Thursday for trafficking his wife to a brothel of Mumbai in India.
   The victim Kahinoor Khatun, daughter of Yousuf Ali of Chaulia under Kotwali police station, filed the case with the police station accusing his husband Asaduzzaman Ripon of  Hazigram under Digholia police station in Khulna.
   According to the case, Ripon got married with the victim about three years ago.

Four persons were killed in separate road accidents in Barisal and Tangail on Thursday, our district correspondent have reported.
   In Barisal, three persons were killed in separate road accidents on the Barisal-Dhaka Highway.
   The police said a Dhaka-bound bus crushed Koitori, 7, daughter of Abdus Sattar of Khanjapur Gournadi, under its wheels when she was crossing the road at about 3:30pm. She died on the spot.
   An unidentified man was injured critically after fallen from roof of a bus. Later, he died on the way to the Gournadi Upazila Health Complex.
   Meanwhile, a bicyclist injured as a Dhaka-bound bus dashed him at Rahamatpur of the upazila. He was taken to the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital where attending doctors declared him dead.
   All of the bodies were sent to the hospital morgue for post-mortem examinations.
   In Tangail, a man was killed and other injured at Bhuapur-Gobindashi road of Khupribari of Bhuapur upazila.
   The deceased was Sanwar Hosen, 50, former member of Gabsara union of the upazila.
   A Bhuapur-bound sand laden truck collided with a motor cycle at about 2:30pm killing him on the spot and injuring three others.
   The police recovered the body and sent it to the Tangail General Hospital morgue.
   Truck driver managed to flee away with the truck after the accident.
   A case was filed with the Bhuapur police station.

Bangladesh Rifles seized one kilogram of heroin worth about Tk 1 crore and arrested three persons in this connection in the Dakshin Surma area in Sylhet city on Thursday.
    The arrested were Abdul Halim, 45, of Damudha area and Badsha Talukdar, 20, of village Milti under Kaukhali upazila in Pirojpur and Suhel Jamaddar, 23, of village Sulakgram under Ujirpur in Barishal.
   Acting on a tip off, a team of the BDR raided a bus at Dakshin Surma and seized one kilogram of heroin after searching the bus at about 5:00pm.
   The law-enforcers also arrested the bus driver and his two helpers suspecting their involvement with the drugs trafficking.
   A case was filed with the Dakshin Surma police in this connection.