Pilfering medicines from public hospitals

Khalilur Rahman Last week, a private television channel broadcast live an episode on how organised groups of employees at the Orthopaedic Hospital, popularly known as Pangu Hospital in the city, are engaged in pilfering medicines, gauge, bandages, disposable syringes, etc., from this government-run health facility. All these medicines and many other items are being sold to private clinics, adjacent to the Orthopaedic Hospital at half of their prices. The TV crew entered into the store room of one such private clinic where a large stock of medicines, pilfered from the Orthopaedic Hospital, was found. Labels on the bottles and packs of medicines clearly showed that those were government properties. The late-night TV watchers were surprised to see that the store-keeper of the private clinic was maintaining a register with entries showing names of employees of the Orthopaedic Hospital with their cell phone numbers who supplied medicines and other clinical materials regularly. The quantity of materials was clearly recorded in the register. One of the store-keepers admitted to the TV reporter that the clinic was receiving regular supply of medicines and other materials from the Orthopaedic Hospital staff. A ward boy of the Orthopaedic Hospital whose name was found along with his cell phone number in the private clinic's register was hunted down by the TV journalist. The staff introduced himself as a ward boy of the Orthopaedic Hospital. When asked how his name with mobile phone number appeared in the private clinic register, he replied that as a hospital staff he often visits many private clinics and as such his name might have been recorded in the register. But the ward boy kept mum when asked about different medicines found against his name in the register. Another employee of private clinic's store was found swearing to TV journalist that he would not indulge in such practice in future. When asked, the Director of the Orthopaedic Hospital admitted about theft of medicines from the hospital to the TV reporter with an assurance that he would try to stop the malpractice. The Director General (DG) of Health Services who was also interviewed told the reporter that theft of medicines is also going on in other government hospitals. The DG informed the reporter concerned that about 96% of the medicines needed by the patients are supplied to the hospitals by the government. The claim by the DG, Health about the supply of medicines in government-run hospitals may be true but it does not help the large number of patients attending the government health facilities every day as unscrupulous hospital staff continues to take bulk of those away for sale. Our health minister Professor AFM Ruhal Haque is never found wanting in telling people that there was no shortage of medicines in government-run hospitals across the country. He even announced on several occasions in the past that the patients at the government hospitals were no longer required to buy medicines at their own cost. Quoting civil surgeons, the minister had once said, as we reported earlier in this column, whenever he wanted to send medicines to any government-run hospital they reported that there was enough stock of drugs at their disposal. The minister claimed that adequate supply of medicines to the hospitals was the result of pragmatic steps taken by the government in the country's health sector. The health minister mentioned that colour of the labels of medicines supplied to the hospitals have been changed to ensure free distribution to the patients. On one occasion, the government-run central medical store (CMS) which maintains supply of medicines to public hospitals had to take back non-essential drugs from twenty districts in December, 2010. The civil surgeons of the 20 districts returned the medicines to CMS because those were not required in the hospitals there. Later on, the health ministry and the director general of health had formed two separate committees to probe into the causes of refusal of civil surgeons to accept the medicines sent by CMS. The civil surgeons informed the health ministry and health directorate that they had contacted the CMS not to send non-essential drugs, but in vain. On the other hand, a large number of patients often undergo sufferings at some other important public hospitals. A section of unscrupulous hospital staff realize money from helpless patients either for providing a trolley or allotment of a seat. In some hospitals, it is alleged, 'Dalals' (brokers or middlemen) allure patients to go to clinics on the assurance of receiving better treatment. A section of doctors and hospital staff who are associated with those particular clinics try to convince the patients for their own interest to earn extra money. Moreover, medicines supplied to those public hospitals find their way into the outside shops for sale. Such practices are not new. These are continuing for over the years unabated. The powerful groups among general staff having political connections are mainly responsible for this evil practice. How long it will continue depends on the authorities concerned. E-mail : [email protected]