S A Shofiee , Sylhet :
Commission agents of physicians and clinics have long been dominating the premises of the Sylhet M A G Osmani Medical College Hospital, causing severe difficulties to the patients and their attendants.
Sources in the hospital said, assistants and agents of the doctors and clinics receive a huge amount of money from the patients and their attendants, referring them to certain clinics and pathological laboratories for various medical tests, prescribed unnecessarily.
The agents take positions at any place of private-run hospitals, bus stands, railway stations and many other places to grab the patients and take them to their respective clinics or private chamber of some physicians.
The patients and their attendants, coming from different rural and far-flung areas, become confused as the agents, on behalf of their clinics and physicians, say that their clinics and physicians are much better than others.
The first hurdle a patient has to cross outside the chambers of most physicians at Sylhet M A G Osmani Medical College Hospital are the agents who offer to fix appointments with the specialists – of course for a cut.There have even been cases in which patients were not admitted to private clinics, run by some physicians, because the patients did not come through the agents, while the regular patients burn a hole in their pockets paying the middlemen.
Several dozens of these agents staying at the main gate and other entrances to Sylhet M.A.G Osmani Medical College Hospital.At the sight of patients, the agents surround them and ‘advise’ them against getting admitted to the hospital since healthcare isn’t a priority for the physicians there.There after, the agents ‘suggest’ many clinics with top-of-the-line facilities and 24-hour presence of specialist physicians and nurses at a ‘reasonable cost’,
sources at several government hospitals said.Since most patients, or their family members and attendants, are ignorant about medical details, the pressure tactic acts in many cases and the patients often approach the private clinics in desperation, relatives of many victimised patients confirmed.
Sources said many physicians of Sylhet M.A.G Osmani Medical College Hospital and other government hospitals in Sylhet carry out private practice at clinics, and authorities at these clinics appoint the agents to get patients for a commission.But sources said once a patient is admitted to a clinic or visits a doctor, the clinic authorities or the doctor takes away the agent’s card to hide their association with the agent, as also to pay the agent his/her commission.
A woman agent can be seen sitting outside a doctor’s chamber at SOMCH near the outdoor patient’s ward.Any patient approaching the woman will be told that the doctor is busy but the patient can consult him at his private chamber.The woman was caught by the police on several occasions but to no avail she can still be seen carrying out the same business outside the same doctor’s chamber.
According to sources in the hospital, the woman is paid a commission of Tk 50 per patient. Some rickshaw-pullers are also working in Sylhet city as a commission agent of physicians.A rickshaw puller, residing at Khalik Colony in the city, told that he was working in favour of a well-known gynecologist having a chamber at Shajalal Medicare in the city. ‘While a female patient with his or her guardians get down from a bus or trains,
I reach to them and persuade them to go to Shajalal Medicare,’ he said.
Tariful Islam, from Kamal Bazar in Dakshin Surma with his ailing wife Afroza Khatun, told That they had decided to go Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital but the rickshaw-puller, carrying them, influenced them to go a private clinic.
When Contacted Director of Sylhet M.A.G Osmani Medical College Hospital Brig.Genl Abdus sabur Miah did not give further details.
Commission agents of physicians and clinics have long been dominating the premises of the Sylhet M A G Osmani Medical College Hospital, causing severe difficulties to the patients and their attendants.
Sources in the hospital said, assistants and agents of the doctors and clinics receive a huge amount of money from the patients and their attendants, referring them to certain clinics and pathological laboratories for various medical tests, prescribed unnecessarily.
The agents take positions at any place of private-run hospitals, bus stands, railway stations and many other places to grab the patients and take them to their respective clinics or private chamber of some physicians.
The patients and their attendants, coming from different rural and far-flung areas, become confused as the agents, on behalf of their clinics and physicians, say that their clinics and physicians are much better than others.
The first hurdle a patient has to cross outside the chambers of most physicians at Sylhet M A G Osmani Medical College Hospital are the agents who offer to fix appointments with the specialists – of course for a cut.There have even been cases in which patients were not admitted to private clinics, run by some physicians, because the patients did not come through the agents, while the regular patients burn a hole in their pockets paying the middlemen.
Several dozens of these agents staying at the main gate and other entrances to Sylhet M.A.G Osmani Medical College Hospital.At the sight of patients, the agents surround them and ‘advise’ them against getting admitted to the hospital since healthcare isn’t a priority for the physicians there.There after, the agents ‘suggest’ many clinics with top-of-the-line facilities and 24-hour presence of specialist physicians and nurses at a ‘reasonable cost’,
sources at several government hospitals said.Since most patients, or their family members and attendants, are ignorant about medical details, the pressure tactic acts in many cases and the patients often approach the private clinics in desperation, relatives of many victimised patients confirmed.
Sources said many physicians of Sylhet M.A.G Osmani Medical College Hospital and other government hospitals in Sylhet carry out private practice at clinics, and authorities at these clinics appoint the agents to get patients for a commission.But sources said once a patient is admitted to a clinic or visits a doctor, the clinic authorities or the doctor takes away the agent’s card to hide their association with the agent, as also to pay the agent his/her commission.
A woman agent can be seen sitting outside a doctor’s chamber at SOMCH near the outdoor patient’s ward.Any patient approaching the woman will be told that the doctor is busy but the patient can consult him at his private chamber.The woman was caught by the police on several occasions but to no avail she can still be seen carrying out the same business outside the same doctor’s chamber.
According to sources in the hospital, the woman is paid a commission of Tk 50 per patient. Some rickshaw-pullers are also working in Sylhet city as a commission agent of physicians.A rickshaw puller, residing at Khalik Colony in the city, told that he was working in favour of a well-known gynecologist having a chamber at Shajalal Medicare in the city. ‘While a female patient with his or her guardians get down from a bus or trains,
I reach to them and persuade them to go to Shajalal Medicare,’ he said.
Tariful Islam, from Kamal Bazar in Dakshin Surma with his ailing wife Afroza Khatun, told That they had decided to go Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital but the rickshaw-puller, carrying them, influenced them to go a private clinic.
When Contacted Director of Sylhet M.A.G Osmani Medical College Hospital Brig.Genl Abdus sabur Miah did not give further details.
