CORRUPTION, anomalies, bribes, nepotism and many other irregularities have been going on unabated in the country’s health sector. Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Thursday revealed that the interest groups in the health service, belonging to the ruling party, officials at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Civil Surgeon’s Office and trade union leaders, are active partners of this corruption process. The press reported the case widely. This is simply unpalatable for the poor treatment seekers, the majority of the citizenries, who are the worst victims of poverty, hunger and malnutrition and cannot afford the high paid services in private medical outlets. Doctors often opt for unethical options to earn by prescribing unrelated treatment procedures to pocket extra bucks from the diagnostic centers. Corruption has thus been institutionalized in the public health sector, alleged the anti-corruption watchdog.The report detailed out the types and modes of corruption in recruitment, transfer and promotion process in public health sector. The range of bribes for recruitment, transfers or promotions is Tk 10,000 to Tk 10 lakhs. This was not quite unusual while we look back at the last recruitment of doctors under 33rd BCS quota. About 6000 doctors were appointed; among them more than 1700 were made OSD on the grounds of a shortage of vacant posts. The recruitment was mostly based on choice either by high payment or political lineage to the ruling party, negating the merit scores. The TIB report found that a shortage of physicians and health workers still exists. Surprisingly, some OSD doctors are now getting position by paying bribes from two to three lakhs. The same scenario also happens in transfers and promotions.TIB report blamed the government for buying unnecessary equipment, which remained unused for lack of manpower and necessary infrastructures in the public hospitals. Officials often issue work orders for equipment or infrastructure development only for making money. The contractors thus make the best use of opportunity in making quick money.Ignoring minimum ethics, the diet supplied to the patients is not up to the quality as making profits is the motto of the politically selected suppliers. Medicine are not supplied as per patients’ need or if supplied are near their expiry dates to bring in additional earnings. The anti-corruption watchdog found a lack of legal application in formulating actions against doctors, officials or private clinics and the diagnostic centers who are charging beyond the tolerable level. Physicians often use designations not recognised by the regulatory authority only to cheat the patients.However, we cannot altogether blame all the doctors or officials, but we have apprehensions about the level of corruption there. The influential Health Minister may deem TIB allegations sweeping without providing specific proofs. But it is widely agreed that the public healthcare could have been much better had the authorities checked the anomalies.
