More than 32,000 private clinics and diagnostic centres across the country are operating illegally in absence of proper monitoring and punishment by the authorities concerned, officials and medicare businesses said.
They said a large number of private clinics and diagnostic centres have been set up without approval from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), resulting in wrong and improper treatment of the patients.
A large number of illegal private clinics and diagnostic centres have been continuing their business without any licence but with the help of influential local health officials and politicians.
According to the Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostic Owners Association (BPCDOA), some 4,000 clinics and 8,000 diagnostic centres of the country have DGHS approvals.
A recent study of the BPCDOA revealed that over 32,000 illegal private clinics and diagnostic centres are being run in the country violating the Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982.
The unauthorised private clinics and diagnostic centres are continuing their operations defying rules and regulations as those don't have eligible doctors and nurses with appropriate degrees.
"We have observed that about 32 thousand private hospitals and diagnostic centres are now being operated across the country in absence of proper monitoring and punishment from authorities concerned", general secretary of BPCDOA Dr ABM Haroon told the FE.
He said there are 450 private clinics including hospitals and 1,300 laboratories and diagnostic centres in the capital which have government approval but the number of unauthorised ones might be double.
He said a large number of illegal private hospitals and diagnostic centres have been identified across the country where some politicians and corrupted doctors are directly involved.
An estimated 1,500 illegal private hospitals and diagnostic centres have mushroomed in the Dhaka city, of which a good number are operating without any trained medical staff.
More than 60 per cent of private clinics and diagnostic centres in the country are running without DGHS approval; as a result patients are being cheated and hundreds of people are getting killed due to wrong treatment.
Most of the unauthorised private clinics and hospital are running without even maintaining the minimum level of safety and health standards required including dispensing clinical wastage, employing trained staff and utilising modern equipment.
"A large number of illegal private clinics have been operating around the government hospitals where many patients are being cheated", executive magistrate of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) AHM Anwar Pasha said.
He said a number of dishonest and fake doctors are involved with illegal hospital business where there is no necessary equipment.
He said the mobile courts of RAB went on drives against illegal private hospitals and diagnostic centres across the country including Tecno, Medilab, Mohanagar, Famous and Crescent Hospital in the city and arrested more than 100 fake doctors, nurses and technicians besides sealing off a number of unauthorised private hospitals and clinics.
He said the approvals of a good number of clinics and diagnostic centres have already expired but they are doing business without getting those renewed.
An additional secretary of the MoHFW said: "A drive against illegal hospitals and clinics is continuing to check unethical practices".
He said the private clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostic centres are under DGHS and the MoHFW has instructed the directorate to control those resorting to such unethical practices.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
