Munshiganj: Turning down patients with the excuses of unavailability of necessary services at Sirajdikhan Upazila Health Complex has turned out to be a money-making opportunity for a quarter of its staff as it provides them with a chance to force the patients to spend excessive money for availing of the facilities.  

Many patients have alleged that the hospital staff are more interested in charging excessive fees arbitrarily rather than attending their medical needs.

Besides, no money receipt is provided to the patients for the medical charges that they pay. As long as the high charges are not paid, patients are not allowed to undergo any emergency medical tests putting them in an awkward situation.

The list of complaints about irregularities and mismanagement regarding the hospital is quite long. Some major complaints include lack of qualified doctors, doctors seeing patients at their own residences rather than attending patients at the hospital chambers, inefficient and faulty medical equipment, lack of medicine supply to the pharmacy and dominance of middlemen and hospital cleaners.

During a visit to the health complex, UNB Munshiganj correspondent found out that the medical services there have been heavily monetized with the excuses of unavailability of the services.

Expressing her dissatisfaction about the quality of medical services, a patient, Habiba Akhtar, said, ‘The machinery used here for conducting medical tests is so unreliable that they always yield inconsistent results and don't match with the test results if done from Dhaka or elsewhere.’

‘This is the only hospital in the vicinity; hence, thousands of people rely on this health complex for medical services. But there is hardly any doctor after 12pm. The pharmacy does not have the necessary medical supplies. The hospital staff keep on telling us to collect those from elsewhere,’ she said.

‘Charging high fees at a public hospital like this one is uncalled for. We pay money but literally do not get any proper medical service from here,’ she added.

A pharmaceuticals trader, who did not wish to be named, told UNB, ‘The 50-bed hospital is in a crumbling situation. There are some doctors but no medicine for patients. The X-ray machine is faulty. The maternity service is horrible.’

Maksuda Begum, 22, from Kamalapur village of Latabdi union in Sirajdikhan came to the hospital on 30 September last. She had to take a ticket at Tk 3 and after a long wait, managed to consult the doctor there. The doctor prescribed some blood tests for her.

Maksuda told UNB, ‘I went to the hospital pathologist who told me that the tests can be done by him. So, I did some simple blood tests and he charged me Tk 460 which is absolutely illogical.’

When Maksuda asked for a money receipt, the hospital pathologist reportedly told her that there is no need for a money receipt. Maksuda also saw 4-5 more patients paying him and also not getting any money receipt.

Some local diagnostic centre employees, on condition of anonymity, said, the hospital pathologist has links with almost all the diagnostic centers in the locality, and in most cases; he works on behalf of these diagnostic centers illegally.

Contacted, pathologist Md Tofazzal denied the allegations brought against him and said only on that particular day, he forgot to give money receipts to the patients.

Allegations also have it against resident medical officer of the health complex Nurun Nabi that he sees patients at his own home during his duty hours at the hospital, an allegation dismissed by Nurun Nabi

Dr Ulfat Ara Begum, the upazila health officer, told UNB, ‘I came to know about the money receipt incident. I've checked the register and found the charges to be correct.’She also claimed that all the doctors at the health complex see patients at the hospital till 2:30pm.

Besides the allegation that hospital staff are charging extra money from the patients, many middlemen and hospital cleaners were alleged to have been collecting money from patients in return for securing a sure-shot appointment with doctors.

Dr. Ulfat Ara Begum said, ‘We are trying to curb the dominance of middlemen and hospital cleaners at Sirajdikhan Upzaila Health Complex by taking appropriate measures.’