Bhola, June 26 -- A sprawling hospital complex stands on the banks of a tranquil delta, its walls echoing with silence where once there was urgency and care.

In the heart of Bhola's 250-bed General Hospital, a state-of-the-art RT-PCR lab lies dormant, while an ICU packed with life-saving technology remains untouched-monuments to a promise unfulfilled.

With COVID-19 cases once again creeping into headlines and homes, the islanders of Bhola find themselves adrift, cut off not by water, but by a glaring void in essential health services.

The RT-PCR lab, built at a cost of several crore taka in 2020 during the peak of the pandemic, was meant to serve as a critical shield for nearly 22 lakh people living in this coastal district.

But for m...