<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>X-ray machines at different government hospitals in Feni are lying unused for years due to a shortage of skilled manpower.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Among the hospitals and health centers in Feni, only Feni General Hospital and Chhagalnaiya Upazila Health Complex have functioning X-ray machines. Machines worth crores of taka haven’t even been unboxed in the district’s Sonagazi, Fulgazi, Parshuram and Daganbhuiyan upazila health complexes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Besides, it has been 15 years since the 20-bed Trauma Center and Chest Disease Hospital in Feni’s Mahipal used an X-ray machine last time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Health officials said that although the government had provided two X-ray machines with capacities of 300MA and 500MA to Fulgazi Upazila Health Complex in 2016 and 2019, respectively, patients are yet to get the health examination facility.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The same thing happened at Parshuram Upazila Health Complex. The X-ray machine of this health center malfunctioned in 2016. Instead of repairing it, the government provided a new X-ray machine with a capacity of 500MA on September 9, 2019, which has been lying unboxed since then as the health complex didn’t find anyone who could install and operate the machine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Read more: Govt to set pvt hospitals’ service fees: Health Minister</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We haven’t used X-ray machines since 2013. Although we received a 500MA X-ray machine on March 2, 2021, it hasn’t been taken out of the box yet due to a shortage of skilled personnel,” said Tauhidul Islam, Daganbhuiyan Upazila Health Officer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Mahbub Alam, Lab Technologist of Sonagazi Upazila Health Complex, said that two X-ray technologists had joined the complex in 2007 and 2013.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“But they were transferred to another health complex after the X-ray machine of our health complex went out of order,” Mahbub added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr Rafiq us-Salehin, Civil Surgeon of Feni, said that X-ray services can’t be provided to patients without recruiting skilled operators and technologists.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Recruitment of manpower to operate and maintain X-ray machines is currently underway. A company named 3I Merchandise supplies X-ray machines in Feni. We’ve asked them time and again to teach our health workers how to operate an X-ray machine, which they never did,” said Rafiq. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>