Staff Reporter :
The High Court (HC) on Tuesday ordered all the private hospitals, clinics, laboratories and diagnostic centers to display the price list of their services openly.
Health Secretary, Directorate General of Health Services and Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council will have to implement this order within 15 days after getting the order’s copy.
They will also formulate a policy according to the Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Labratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982 within 60 days after getting the order’s copy and constitute an expert committee to implement this policy.
The HC bench of Justice J B M Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam passed the order and issued a rule after hearing a writ petition filed as public interest litigation.
Advocate Bashir Ahmed took part in the hearing on behalf of the writ petition, Deputy Attorney General Masud Hasan Chowdhury stood for the State.
The court wanted to know in the rule as to why the authorities should not be directed to formulate the policy according to the Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982 for the supervision and regulation the services of the private hospitals, clinics, laboratories and diagnostic centers, and as to why the authorities should not be directed to establish Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Coronary Care Unit (CCU) in all the district hospitals across the country.
Health Secretary, Directorate General of Health Services, Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, Inspector General of Police and other respondents have to comply with the rule.
Md Shah Alam, Treasurer of Human Rights Lawyers and Securing Environment Society of Bangladesh, filed this writ petition with the High Court on behalf of his organization.
After court’s order, Advocate Bash1ir Ahmed said, “Huge irregularities are happening in the private hospitals and clinics, which are clear violation of the Article 18 of the Constitution, and creating severe health threat to the people. So, we have filed the writ petition and the court has passed order after hearing.”
Deputy Attorney General Masud Hasan Chowdhury said, the court had fixed October 7 for further hearing on the writ petition.
