Pvt clinics prosper as equipment in state hospitals kept out of whack

An unholy nexus between public hospitals and private diagnostic centers renders medical and pathological machines and equipment in government health facilities inoperative, forcing affluent patients to go to private clinics.
Physicians in several government hospitals in Dhaka said a large number of newly procured electro medical machines are lying idle in government hospitals.
The situation is worse in outside than the capital city, where commission agents either motivate government hospital patients to go to private labs or create dysfunctional situation in hospital labs, according to healthcare industry people.
During spot visits to several public hospitals in Dhaka, it was found that despite having adequate machines, the patients in government hospitals are going outside for dialysis, sample tests and for different pathological tests paying higher than the government charges.
A few administrative officers requesting anonymity said employees' groups are so strong in the government hospitals that many doctors do not dare say anything against them.
An official at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said every year the government cither from its own fund or donors' support, procures a large number of electro medical equipment, pathological test machines, chemical reagents, bio reagents, anaesthesia machines, dialysis machines, surgical and other equipment.
He said the government purchases state-of-the-art machines to provide quality health services to the patients coming to public hospitals at affordable costs but a group of hospital employers allegedly keep the machines inoperative saying these are not functioning, offering wrong readings as there is no trained technicians.
The FE correspondent found doctors at several public hospitals refer patients to go to private labs.
Professor ABM Hannan, Director (Hospital) at the DGHS said the WB funded procurements is always transparent maintaining the best quality and the purchased machines are going to different district and upazila hospitals as per requirements every year.
He said it is 'surprising' that after few days of delivery, the authority is informed that machines are inoperative, whereas in private labs or in clinics sub-standard machines are functioning year after year.
Hospital employees said the government does not arrange enough training to the staff to operate some modern equipment, offering private lab owners the chance to cash in on the situation.
Regarding unnecessary procurement, the official at the DGHS said procurement is made under many process but it is not clear to him how requirements are being made.
A good number of kidney dialysis machines are out of order at the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology (NIKDU) Hospital in Dhaka, it is learnt.
The specialised hospital, where more than 200 renal patients visit the facility each day, struggles to meet the growing demand of dialysis.
Hospital employees said currently there are only 28 dialysis machines in the hospital and seven of them are inoperative and despite issuing letters there is no replacement as yet.
An official of the Shaheed Suhrawardy Mecical College and Hopsital said they do not have sufficient machines to continue all the existing operation theatres as machines are not operative.
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