Campus

Campus

The college is located in Patuakhali town of Patuakhali District, within the compound of 250-bed Patuakhali General Hospital. The hospital began as a 50-bed sadar (district headquarters) hospital. It was expanded in 1979, 2003, and 2005 to 100, 150, and 250 beds respectively. There are plans to convert it to a 500-bed medical college hospital.

A chronic shortage of doctors due to understaffing at the hospital has been reported since 2008. As of November of that year, only 24 of 33 physician positions at the hospital were filled. In June of the following year only 17 of the posts were occupied. The number of long standing vacancies led the Patuakhali Development Foundation to form a human chain to demand action. By 2010, the hospital’s approved staffing level had risen to 58 doctors, but the number of positions filled had risen only to 18. The situation deteriorated further until, in 2014, only 16 doctors were serving.