Pabna Correspondent:

After a nine-day suspension, Pabna Mental Hospital resumed patient admissions on Saturday morning, following the resolution of a food supply tender dispute that had brought operations to a standstill.

The hospital had halted new admissions on July 3, citing uncertainty over food supply after a tender process failed to finalise approved bidders.

The disruption lasted until today, marking nine days of suspended service.

Speaking to reporters, Shafkat Wahed, director of the hospital, said, “The crisis is now over. Two companies received work orders last week, and we resumed patient admission this morning.”

He noted that over 100 beds are currently vacant due to the halt.

“There is high demand for admission. We are prioritising patients in urgent need of treatment,” the director added.

Admissions will continue throughout the day, so the exact number of new patients will be confirmed by tomorrow morning, he said.

The crisis originated after the hospital issued a tender on May 28 for recruiting food suppliers.

Eight companies took part in the bidding for three categories of food supplies on June 26, but the hospital authority could not immediately finalise the lowest bidders, as multiple suppliers submitted similar price quotes.

As a result, the hospital suspended new patient admissions from July 3 to avoid the risk of failing to feed patients.

On July 7, the hospital authority issued three work orders to two suppliers.

According to hospital sources, AHM Rejaul was awarded contracts for ‘Ka’ group (groceries including rice and oil) and ‘Ga’ group (vegetables and fruits), while Anik Traders received the ‘Kha’ group contract (meat and fish supply).

“The newly appointed suppliers have started delivering food to the hospital. We are ensuring that patient services continue without disruption,” the director said.