This letter is in reference to an article titled 'Provide commoners with healthcare at lower cost' that was published in the Financial Express on January 14, 2019. In the article, President M Abdul Hamid was quoted as asking physicians to provide proper medical treatment to patients at lower cost. Thanks to the President for his kind thoughts.
The cost of treatment, including doctor's fee, is so high now that patients from middle income households fear to go for medical checkups. The frustration of people from lower income segments of society can only be imagined.
The President is right to point out that getting treatment is one of the fundamental rights of the people and the physicians should perform their responsibilities with utmost devotion and sincerity.
He referred to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) as a specialised and international-standard hospital. The President was optimistic that if the university authorities took pragmatic steps to ensure proper treatment and conduct research on diseases, then more patients would come to BSMMU rather than going abroad for treatment.
It should be mentioned that most patients are going abroad because they are not satisfied with the healthcare services they are getting in the country. If the government opens more public hospitals, then some lower and middle income patients and their families will be benefited. At the moment, most patients have to rely on private healthcare establishments. These charge five to six times more per service compared to public hospitals.
A recent study on the healthcare sector has revealed that there are 15,000 clinics, hospitals and medical diagnostic centres in the country and most of these are located in Dhaka city. But Bangladesh's medical expenses are among the highest among all SAARC countries. Though the patients pay so much, most doctors do not want to spend more than a few minutes per patient. If anyone goes to neighbouring India or Sri Lanka and seek doctor's advice there, they will see an entirely opposite situation.
Due to these reasons, Bangladeshis are in the top rungs of foreign nationals who visit India, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia for medical purposes. An Indian government report published in 2018 found that from 460,000 inbound patients to Indian hospitals, more than 165,000 were from Bangladesh. This means that one in three foreign patients to India was from Bangladesh.
I sincerely hope that the government will strengthen the public healthcare sector so that the people of the country can get proper treatment at affordable prices.
Md. Zillur Rahaman
Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd.
Lalmohan Branch, Bhola.
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