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Search date: 04-02-2019 Return to current date: Click here

Fake physicians in rural and remote areas

February 04, 2019 00:00:00


Many fake doctors seem to be practising in the country right now. Some were caught by law enforcing agency officials last year and the year earlier in Dhaka. It has been reported by newspapers that there are plenty of fake doctors in the rural and remote areas. These fake doctors are deceiving unsuspecting patients and their family members in these parts of Bangladesh.

Medical practice is a respected profession in Bangladesh as doctors are considered saviours. This is why their opinions and prescriptions are hardly doubted by patients in rural and remote areas of the country. The fake doctors take advantage of this situation.

In the 1990s, I had watched a Bengali movie. It had a humorous character named 'Doctor Kodom Ali (no degree)' which was played by ATM Shamsuzzaman. The character was hugely popular as its depiction pointed out the problems created by fake physicians in a society.

It's very unfortunate that these fake physicians are growing in number in the country now. I have also heard that many doctors use false or fake academic degrees to their names to create a strong impression in the minds of their patients. This also allows them to charge their patients more.

Maybe, the authorities can initiate a process through which patients can verify the degrees of a doctor before going to them. The government should take some measures to address this problem. Otherwise these fake physicians will continue to harm public health through their activities.

Faisal Hossain

Uttara, Dhaka


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