THE death of veteran journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury has at least forced the authority to shut down an unauthorized hospital and unearthing the medical negligence and malpractices that are adopted by the Government salaried physicians. The Health Ministry on Tuesday closed Mohona Hospital for running operations without a licence following the death of the journalist who was taken first to the clinic but did not get proper treatment during his 45 minutes stay at that critical moment. A vernacular daily on Tuesday reported that 230 physicians loyal to the ruling party owned the unauthorized hospital. We believe that Mohona is only the tip of the iceberg of illegally operating hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers in the country. The physicians doing unscrupulous business forgetting their Hippocratic oath should be handed down exemplary punishment aiming at protecting the right to life.
Reports said majority of the 230 owners of the now infamous hospitals are the members of the ruling party affiliated organization of physicians — Swadhinota Chikitshak Parishad. The National Healthcare Facility now being manipulated by the politically corrupted doctors explicitly exposes the sorry state of the healthcare service in the country. The people who runs the unauthorized hospitals — be it quacks unable to provide treatment or certified physicians who are negligent to patients — do not deserve to lead a life at large. Shutting the hospital should not be the only remedy in the case of Mohona, the doctors accused of running the illegal hospital should also be made responsible.
Moreover, the country’s healthcare service, basically consisting of public hospitals, is mired in corruption that dilutes the health service, a Transparency International Bangladesh survey said. The TIB report stated that doctors, health officials and employees bribe up to Tk 10 lakh to health officials for appointment, transfers and promotion purposes respectively. A number of doctors, not even recognised by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, are practicing across the country and cheating many people in the name of offering healthcare services.
Besides, hundreds of unlicenced private hospitals and clinics have mushroomed across the country, and operating without any trained medical staff. In most cases, these outlets are starting operations just after applying with the Directorate General of Health Services for licence and not waiting for approval like Mohona Hospital, although, this practice is a clear violation of the Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982.
The Health Ministry and the Directorate General of Health Services found that Mohona Hospital only had a licence to run a diagnostic centre. Because of such irregularities, people are losing confidence in healthcare.
