Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed its grave concern over a recent circular issued by the health ministry asking for prior permission from the authorities concerned to publish any news items on media.
Demanding immediate withdrawal of the circular, the anti-graft watchdog in a statement on Tuesday said it would help promote a culture of corruption in the country's health sector.
"Prior permission from the authorities concerned is needed before collecting data or capturing still picture or taking video footage for any study, survey, research and related information and news for print and electric media on government healthcare," the circular reads. TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman in the statement said obligation has been imposed on media to get information from state-run healthcare institutions which is he described as "unthinkable in the current context, and a colonial mindset that will create an irresistible obstacle to the government's declared and lawful civil rights to information, besides creating hurdle to ensuring the flow of free information."
Such imposition to seek the consent of the authorities will not only close the door for study and research in the healthcare system in the country, but it would also safeguard all kinds of irregularities, corruption, misuse of state resources and expenditure, he added.
In recent times, some news stories have been published on media over massive corruption in public
healthcare institutions, the
statement said.
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