Watchdog getting power to cancel hospital licence

The government has initiated a move to revise the private hospitals and clinics act, empowering the authorities concerned to cancel licences or take harsh punitive measures against errant operators, officials have said.
Issues like setting a unique standard in health services and charges for private hospitals and clinics have also been incorporated in the draft act.
As per the proposed act, the monitoring authority will have the power to make surprise visit to any hospital or clinic. If they find any services or charges non-compliant, they will be able to fine the organisation or suspend its operation or seal it off during the visit.
The ministry of health (MoH) has already prepared a draft of the revised act and sent it to the ministry of law, justice and parliamentary affairs (MoLJPA) for vetting.
"We have framed the much-waited act empowering the watchdog to curb irregularities in the health sector of the country," a joint secretary of the ministry of health told the FE Thursday, preferring anonymity.
"There are many limitations in taking punitive measures against non-compliant hospitals, but the revised act has proposed allowing enough power to the watchdogs which will help introduce a system in the sector," he added.
"If everything goes accordingly, we hope the act will be passed within next three months," the joint secretary informed.
Director (hospital and clinic) of Directorate General of Health Services Prof Dr Md Shamiul Islam said the office had a little scope to take action against non-compliant hospitals. Cashing in on it, he said, unscrupulous businesspeople were doing brisk business.
"We could not take any strict measures against irregularities of private hospitals and clinics. If the new act empowers us to take strict measures, it will be possible for us to ensure a certain standard of health services," he added.
However, the proposed act also seeks to empower the authority to request the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) to bar any physician from providing health services if his or her services are found inconsistent with patients' rights.
In addition, it seeks to empower the authority to look into services, equipment and service charges any time and take any sort of punitive measures.
Running private clinics or hospital business in a joint venture with foreign investors has also brought under jurisdiction of the authority.
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