The government is revising the user fees of public hospitals to set a standard for the private hospitals and ensure that they cannot charge exorbitant rates for same kind of investigations like X-ray and ultrasonography.
It is also preparing an 'emergency protocol' to help guide all the hospitals to set up the emergency department with necessary equipment and support system as per the world standard.
These were disclosed at a 'Meet the Press' programme of Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, jointly organised by Bangladesh Health Reporters' Forum (BHRF) and Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) in the capital on Sunday.
Journalists raised health sector issues, including irregularities in public and private hospitals.
For instance, the patients are allegedly deprived of proper services at the government hospitals as the authorities do not hang the user fees openly, creating scope for doctors and staffs of overcharging or 'commission business'.
Acting health secretary Habibur Rahman Khan said that the process of revising the user fees, last revised in 2010, was in progress. "The user fees have become backdated. That's why they are not putting pressure on the hospitals now."
He said the revised fees will set a standard for the private hospitals so that they cannot charge exorbitant rate for same kind of investigations.
Regarding the emergency protocol, Mr Khan said the ministry has already prepared an emergency protocol and sent it to different hospitals for their opinion. It is expected to be finalised by next 2-3 months, he added.
The government had taken the initiative to upgrade the emergency departments of the hospitals as per the world standard in 2016. But the process remains stalled for years.
Replying to a question about dearth in urban primary healthcare facilities, an official concerned said the ministry was working to upgrade 17 four-storey urban dispensaries with JICA fund at a cost of Tk 190 million each.
The healthcare centres will also have investigation facilities, doctors and nurses.
The health minister, however, reiterated that the out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure on health services will continue increase if the government's health budget does not increase.
He said the people have to spend a huge amount of money as they are affected with diabetic and cardiac diseases. "The budgetary allocation increases very little every year. We are trying to increase the allocation this year too."
The minister also informed the meeting that the government had decided to recruit 10,000 doctors before the general elections due in December next. Half of them would be taken within next three months.
He said the doctors would be recruited through the Public Service Commission's special measures and they would get posted at the rural facilities, before coming to the urban facilities after two years for post-graduate training and degrees.
The government is trying to keep them in the rural areas for up to three years, he added.
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