Staff Reporter :
A large number of patients go abroad for medical treatment every year and thereby put pressure on the national exchequer.
“It is our failure that we cannot stop patients from going abroad for medical treatment. The patients have lost their trust on the physicians and the health care systems. We need to make plan,” said Nazrul Islam, Former Director, Directorate General of Health Services to The New Nation.
According to experts, thousands of patients go to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and India every year.
They said the upper class citizens of the country use to take treatment in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Europe and North America. The upper-middle class do it in Malaysia and Thailand and the others use to go to India for treatment.
Most of the patients go abroad without any proper reference of Bangladeshi doctors.
They also ignore the Bangladesh Bank’s rules about visiting foreign countries on medical ground. According to the central bank, any patient can take $ 10,000, through banking channel upon a recommendation given by a specialist physician. If extra money is needed, foreign health institutes’ recommendations is required. But most of the patients violate the rule and use other ways.
Very few patients follow the Bangladesh Bank’s rule of money transferring in this regards. In view of this, the central bank has shown in one of its statistics that $ 13,60,000 were drained out for treatment purpose abroad. According to Bangladeshi currency value it was Tk 10, 88,00000.
According to Indian medical services, the country issued 97,000 medical visas for Bangladeshi patients in the first six months of the current fiscal year. It has also shown that 1,65,000 Bangladeshi patients were given treatment
visas in the fiscal year 2015-2016. But the experts said many of the Bangladeshis travel India with business and tourist visa. In these circumstances, the real number of the patients going abroad cannot be counted. For the same reason, the real amount of money cannot be accounted for.
The experts said, the physicians and the hospitals of Bangladesh have capability of providing treatment to most of those patients who go to neighbouring India.
Some patients also said quoting Indian physicians, “There are lots of specialist physicians in Bangladesh as we know. So, why do you come here?”
When asked to state reason of taking treatment in India, a patient said, “The rough behaviours of Bangladeshi physicians force us to do it.”
“When we go to hospitals to take treatment, the doctors make very rough behaviours with us. When we go to his or her private chambers, then they behave modestly but most in the cases they give not enough time to listen the problems. Within two to four minutes, the doctors give some diagnosis tests,” said Shyamol Kanti, a cardiac patient.
He said the Indian doctors use to give about half an hour to listen to the problems to patients. It creates trust among the patients.
Nazrul Islam, the former Director, Directorate General of Health Services said, there should be a policy that how many patients could visit a specialist physician in a day.
“One doctor may be able to visit 20 patients a day, but he is visiting 100 or more. Then how does his brain work well?” He questioned. He also said that the government should form a Medical Board for giving recommendations that who deserve to go abroad for treatment.
He also said the specialists should visit patients after getting reference from general practitioners.
Professor Dr. ABM Abdullah also said that the patients’ number in Bangladesh is rising. Many patients used to go abroad that does not mean that our hospitals become empty.
“Many of the patients going abroad are financially solvents; who think foreign treatment may be fit for him. Such type of rich people gives priority to foreign treatment as they are able to bear the cost,” he said.
When contacted the former Vice-Chancellor of BSMMU, Professor Dr. Kamrul Hasan Khan told The New Nation, “People who are unaware about the treatment capability of our physicians and hospitals are going abroad. Some quarter like brokers of Indian hospitals spreading propaganda that Bangladeshi hospitals have no capacity of proper treatment of many diseases. The government, health services and the media should work together to make the people conscious that our country has enough hospitals and doctors to give proper treatment.”
He, however, admitted that a section of doctors here used rough behave with the patients as they visit unlimited patients a day.
A large number of patients go abroad for medical treatment every year and thereby put pressure on the national exchequer.
“It is our failure that we cannot stop patients from going abroad for medical treatment. The patients have lost their trust on the physicians and the health care systems. We need to make plan,” said Nazrul Islam, Former Director, Directorate General of Health Services to The New Nation.
According to experts, thousands of patients go to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and India every year.
They said the upper class citizens of the country use to take treatment in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Europe and North America. The upper-middle class do it in Malaysia and Thailand and the others use to go to India for treatment.
Most of the patients go abroad without any proper reference of Bangladeshi doctors.
They also ignore the Bangladesh Bank’s rules about visiting foreign countries on medical ground. According to the central bank, any patient can take $ 10,000, through banking channel upon a recommendation given by a specialist physician. If extra money is needed, foreign health institutes’ recommendations is required. But most of the patients violate the rule and use other ways.
Very few patients follow the Bangladesh Bank’s rule of money transferring in this regards. In view of this, the central bank has shown in one of its statistics that $ 13,60,000 were drained out for treatment purpose abroad. According to Bangladeshi currency value it was Tk 10, 88,00000.
According to Indian medical services, the country issued 97,000 medical visas for Bangladeshi patients in the first six months of the current fiscal year. It has also shown that 1,65,000 Bangladeshi patients were given treatment
visas in the fiscal year 2015-2016. But the experts said many of the Bangladeshis travel India with business and tourist visa. In these circumstances, the real number of the patients going abroad cannot be counted. For the same reason, the real amount of money cannot be accounted for.
The experts said, the physicians and the hospitals of Bangladesh have capability of providing treatment to most of those patients who go to neighbouring India.
Some patients also said quoting Indian physicians, “There are lots of specialist physicians in Bangladesh as we know. So, why do you come here?”
When asked to state reason of taking treatment in India, a patient said, “The rough behaviours of Bangladeshi physicians force us to do it.”
“When we go to hospitals to take treatment, the doctors make very rough behaviours with us. When we go to his or her private chambers, then they behave modestly but most in the cases they give not enough time to listen the problems. Within two to four minutes, the doctors give some diagnosis tests,” said Shyamol Kanti, a cardiac patient.
He said the Indian doctors use to give about half an hour to listen to the problems to patients. It creates trust among the patients.
Nazrul Islam, the former Director, Directorate General of Health Services said, there should be a policy that how many patients could visit a specialist physician in a day.
“One doctor may be able to visit 20 patients a day, but he is visiting 100 or more. Then how does his brain work well?” He questioned. He also said that the government should form a Medical Board for giving recommendations that who deserve to go abroad for treatment.
He also said the specialists should visit patients after getting reference from general practitioners.
Professor Dr. ABM Abdullah also said that the patients’ number in Bangladesh is rising. Many patients used to go abroad that does not mean that our hospitals become empty.
“Many of the patients going abroad are financially solvents; who think foreign treatment may be fit for him. Such type of rich people gives priority to foreign treatment as they are able to bear the cost,” he said.
When contacted the former Vice-Chancellor of BSMMU, Professor Dr. Kamrul Hasan Khan told The New Nation, “People who are unaware about the treatment capability of our physicians and hospitals are going abroad. Some quarter like brokers of Indian hospitals spreading propaganda that Bangladeshi hospitals have no capacity of proper treatment of many diseases. The government, health services and the media should work together to make the people conscious that our country has enough hospitals and doctors to give proper treatment.”
He, however, admitted that a section of doctors here used rough behave with the patients as they visit unlimited patients a day.
