UNB, Khulna :
Irregularities and corruption at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) have made a comeback after a short pause due to a crackdown by the authorities and patients’ sufferings have also mounted again.
A syndicate of employees here tricks patients out of huge money with promise of getting their medical tests done and delivered their reports early.
They obtain permission from the hospital authorities for free tests, including X-ray, echocardiogram and ultrasonography. But they take money from the patients against the tests and the money goes to their pockets.
After a series of arrests and cases through a drive recently, the irregularities saw abatement largely, especially in respect of medicine supply through ‘short slip’.
But the unscrupulous section of employees has started their unauthorised activities coming in the way of the patients’ getting smooth treatment form the public hospital.
To sum up, sufferings for the irregularities and corruption have turned into common phenomena for the people coming here for treatment.
Besides, after a patient dies, this syndicate using their corrupt nexus gets the dead body released without a post-mortem examination done on it in exchange for money.
Sources said Shima Joardar, 30, daughter of Nishikanto Joardar, a resident of Batiaghata Goalkhali area, who had been admitted to the hospital on January 17 after falling sick, presumably for taking pesticide, died the following day.
Later her body was released from the hospital without a postmortem examination following recommendations of a political leader and the Residential Medical Officer of the hospital.
As a result, the exact reason behind the death of Shima, a worker of a private clinic, could not be known.
Most of the time, the dishonest hospital employees take money from the patients promising them to get their medical tests done and medicines obtained for free.
One Jakir complained to the authorities concerned of the hospital, saying Nargis, a worker of the hospital, demanded Tk5,00 from him when Jakir took his wife to the hospital for getting her untrasonography done.
Nargis, however, denied the allegations brought against her.
On the other hand, some staff of the hospital hired some people on their own from outside for special duty at the emergency section of the hospital and the operation theatre taking huge money from them.
Connected, Ward Master Ataur Rahman said they were totally unaware of the matter.
A team of the Detective Branch of police in a drive in October last year arrested a nurse and an employee of the hospital on charge of fleecing patients and gleaned some important information from them about their syndicate.
Some employees actively continue their unethical practices by managing police with bribe. The employees fleecing patients are mostly seen active at the hospital outdoor.
Although the authorities have installed close circuit cameras at some important points to monitor their activities, it is being hardly possible to check those, especially for the evil nexus they have.
