Feature

Satellite-AID
Conducted by YES at CMCH

Tabassum Mokhduma

SOUTH Engagement and Support (YES) of Chittagong Metropolitan, a dedicated group of bold and confident volunteers of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) conducted a two-day Satellite-Advice and Information Desk (Satellite-AID) with the technical support of its parent body Committee of Concerned Citizens (CCC), Chittagong Metropolitan and TIB to make the information and advice about the services provided by Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) available to the mass people free of cost at CMCH on 21-22 May 2008.

The main objective behind this programme was to make the information regarding this health service providing organization's services available to the masses, to advise the patients who come to CMCH for treatment to seek help from the Information and Advice Centre of CMCH so that these people don’t suffer because of the troubles created by the middlemen and thus help CMCH to upgrade their services and meet the expectations of the patients. For this purpose this group provided free counseling as well as distributed information book prepared by them with the support of CCC, Chittagong Metropolitan and TIB which consists the map of CMCH, contact numbers and address of CMCH, services provided by this state-run hospital like fees of different diagnosis, charges of operation, cabin fees etc. services which are free of costs, how to avail the ambulance service, diet charts for the indoor patients, lists of medicines which are free of costs, services of different social organization like 'Sandhani', blood bank, One-stop Crisis Centre (OCC) etc. Apart from these, the group also conducted an awareness campaign against smoking and to keep the hospital area neat and clean.

The CMCH Director Colonel A K M Fariduzzaman visited the desk along with other officials of CMCH and was really impressed with the performances of this young group and promised to help these young people to achieve their desired goal of helping the masses and the authority. He also assured the volunteers that the Information and Advice Centre of CMCH will be upgraded soon and will introduce announcement facilities to create awareness about the rights of patients, services provided by CMCH, cleanliness, bad effects of smoking and drugs etc. The recently appointed proactive Director took up some necessary initiatives like installing new water tank only for Operation Theatre (OT) to stop water crisis during surgeries, each week updates the available medicine lists of every department and so on.

Last year the YES group also organized Satellite-AID at the same venue. Previously, there were no active Complain Box /Advice box in CMCH. But he informed that there was no regular staff in their Information and Advice Centre and more importantly, there were no signboard in front of the Information and Advice Centre which can help people to know where the Centre is located. But after last year's programme, CMCH authorities established an Information and Advice Centre in front of the main gate of CMCH building on the ground floor, re-activated their Complain Box /Advice Box and brought it beside the Information and Advice Centre so that people can notice it easily, opened a Complain Register Book, appointed two female staff members for the Information Centre. The CMCH Director himself supervises all the activities of the Information and Advice Centre and Complain Box/ Advice Box.

Jasmine Sultana Paru, the Convener of this YES group was also present to encourage the volunteers. The 2-day event was conducted by the members of this YES group.

(The writer is a YES member, CCC, Chittagong Metropolitan, TIB)