Chuadanga, Oct. 27 -- Once expected to be a beacon of healthcare in the southwestern region, Chuadanga Sadar Hospital is now struggling to deliver even basic medical services.

A severe manpower shortage, coupled with the absence of an anaesthesia consultant for nearly a year, has left hundreds of patients in distress and turned the 250-bed hospital into a place of frustration and uncertainty, locals said.

Although the hospital was upgraded to a 250-bed facility years ago, it continues to operate with the manpower sanctioned for just 50 beds - and receives allocations for food and medicine suitable for only 100 beds.

"The mismatch between infrastructure and staffing has pushed the hospital to the brink of dysfunction," said an official ...