Unauthorized hospitals across the country are cheating people in the name of medical treatment. There is none to stop it, experts said.
Sources said, people who go to these hospitals at Demra and Matuail suffer instead of getting service.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Thursday conducted drive with mobile court against those hospitals and diagnostic centers after getting allegations of cheating patients in the name of medical services.
Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Executive Magistrate of the RAB led the mobile court.
The mobile court fined Tk 4.5 lakh to Matuail Friendship Specialized Hospital and Diagnostic Center, and Tk 2 lakh to The Dhaka Islamia Hospital at Demra.
Besides, the mobile court also fined Tk 2 lakh to Dhaka Multi Care Nursing Home in Demra.
ASP Enayet Kabir Soyeb, Assistant Director of RAB-10 (Media) confirmed the matter to journalists on Friday.
He said, a circle of dishonest people involved in cheating people by establishing illegal hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostic centers in Demra, Kadamtali and adjacent areas.
Human health experts said, it is a very minor scenario of the illegal medical services facilities in the country.
They said ordinary people are unaware about perfect or imperfect health services facilities.
Patients rush to those hospitals as the
agents of such hospitals and clinics provoked them repeatedly.
“There are huge numbers of unauthorised and unfit medical service centers to make money by cheating people across the country. Those are making the people’s life risky,” Dr. Lenin Chowdhury, prominent Human Health Expert, told The New Nation on Friday.
He said permission from Directorate General of Health Services to establish a hospital is needed.
The DGHS is also responsible to monitor hospitals’ medical services among the people.
“But the authority is not doing their duty properly. As a result, the unauthorized health facilities are doing their ‘illegal business’ unabatedly,” Dr. Lenin Chowdhury said.
The human health expert said it is not only an ordinary business to make profit or loss, but it is a matter of life and death. So, such dishonest businesses are making health risks for the people.
When contacted, Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former Advisor of the World Health Organisation, told The New Nation on Friday, “Hospitals running illegally be given notice of one month by the Civil Surgeons of the districts to take permission and necessary licenses to function.”
He said, they should also be monitored whether they have fulfilled the requirements of necessary number of doctors, nurses & other health and allied manpower with required training.
The hospitals and clinics must also have required facilities for the services they are offering.
Office of the Civil Surgeon in districts will be responsible and accountable for effective functioning of both government and private health establishment in districts.
