Stemming tide of medical treatment abroad

Only a patient knows how unbearable is the pain he/she suffers from. It is quite natural for him/her to look desperately for relief. There are thousands in the country who run from pillar to post in search of doctors who can, through proper diagnosis of the disease, alleviate their sufferings. Money is not at all any issue for such patients. There are thousands of instances where many did not think twice before selling their landed property for getting medical treatment either at home or abroad. Whether they get relief on their own soil or in foreign countries, is simply immaterial.
But then, sadly, most of the patients in the country get a raw deal here. In many cases, there is wrong diagnosis as clinics referred to by the physicians are often in league with the doctors they visit. Most of these clinics or diagnostic centres do not have equipment sophisticated enough to get the real picture of the diseases the patients are afflicted with. And then begins their ordeal as well as drainage of money on wrong treatment. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer quite aptly said: "The doctor sees all the weakness of mankind; the lawyer all the wickedness, the theologian all the stupidity". A patient seeks the help of a physician only when he/she feels that his/her well-being and his/her very life are in jeopardy, thus making him/her an instant weakling. A physician, by virtue of his or her knowledge and expertise, attains an almost demi-god status. Sitting on a high seat, worthy of envy, the physicians are duty-bound to forge a relationship with a fearful weakling, which is built on trust and dignity. The art of forging this very important physician-patient relationship is the essence of professionalism which is badly missing in Bangladesh.
Two reports in the FE, one on last Friday and the other on the following day, displayed two sides of the same coin. One report pointed to very poor service delivery in the country's biggest public sector hospital, that is, Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The other is all about middlemen involved in triggering exodus of the Bangladeshi patients abroad for treatment. Many hospitals of Thailand, India, Singapore and even Malaysia have their representatives in Bangladesh, offering better medicare for patients.
The ministry of health and doctors' associations owe an explanation why a large amount of money - US$ 65 million or over Tk 3.0 billion in India alone - is being spent annually by the Bangladeshi patients for their medical treatment. The total amount of resources thus spent abroad may well be over Tk 10 billion, according to a recent reckoning. Of course, the amount spent abroad has started decreasing in recent years as some hospitals of international standard have started their operations in Dhaka. But the expenses on foreign medical treatment still remain significant.
Patients go abroad even as far as to the US for better treatment, depending on their financial ability. The tendency of the patients going abroad reflects the failure of the country's overall health management system. Sophisticated medical equipment often remains out of order due to lack of knowledge on the part of doctors, nurses and medical technologists. Lack of confidence in the local diagnostic centres, high prices of medicines and administrative weakness compel patients to go abroad, particularly to the neighbouring country where costs are lesser than what these are in Bangladesh.
There is no way to stop patients' going abroad for medical treatment unless they get their diseases cured at home. Nothing can stop the spending of precious foreign currency abroad until facilities for correct diagnosis of ailments are made available at home and the doctors here act as true professionals, keeping the suffering humanity above all other considerations.