The New Nation - Internet Edition

Facilities for the treatment of patients for different diseases have been increased in the government hospitals over the years. The Institute of Chest Diseases and Hospital was set up at Mohakhali in the city in 1955. It had initially 200 beds for patients. Over the decades the number of seats have been increased to seven hundred and fifty and that with the end of giving service to greater number of patients. Over one hundred and fifty doctors and two hundred and fifty nurses plus twenty technicians are employed in this hospital in the city.

The services of the specialised hospital for treatment of chest diseases have been used by an ever increasing number of chest patients. The patients come from different areas in the country as referred by doctors and technicians of hospitals and clinics in upazilas and districts. Patients registered with the hospital which is also known as TB hospital, have started facing problems of different types. Some doctors and technicians are reportedly offering suggestions to patients for going to private clinics around for checkups. Patients and their guardians are thus forced to pay more for such checkups. In the process, the treatment of chest diseases in the Mohakhali Hospital has turned costly and uncertain. Reports on transfer of patients to private clinics have appeared in the press from time to time. One may note that existing facilities in the TB hospital are not used properly for rendering service to the patients. Some professionals have reportedly encouraged their partners to set up clinics and laboratories and have started earning extra money from such centres.

The problems faced by patients and their guardians are many faceted. The treatment of diseases has turned quite costly. Tests and checkups, done at private clinics and laboratories before giving patients prescriptions from doctors of hospital, cost patients a lot of money. The tests are done allegedly even by nonqualified technicians and mistakes on the results of such tests are detected frequently. Sufferings of patients thus increase and the costs of treatment also turn heavy. In such a context, the doctors and technicians in public hospitals including the Chest Diseases and Hospital at Mohakhali have to be made accountable to authorities under the Ministry of Health. Any corruption in offering services to patients has to be contained with appropriate measures.