The New Nation - Internet Edition

ACCORDING to an estimate, an amount of 65 million US Dollars or over 300 crore Taka on average is being spent a year by Bangladeshi patients for treatment abroad in neighbouring countries. If the total amount of resources spent for medical treatment by Bangladeshis in other countries is taken into account, the same would obviously make a much bigger figure. A decrease in this expenditure has started occurring since last year as some hospitals of international standard started functioning in capital Dhaka. But the expenditures on foreign medical treatment by Bangladeshis still remain largely undiminished. Therefore, the question that cannot help but arise is, whether such a drain of the country's limited resources on medical or health care abroad is justified when the country is hard pressed to carry out its import of industrial raw materials, capital machinery and indispensable consumer items with its present state of foreign currency earnings. The answer may be in the negative and this may create a compulsion on policy makers to set in motion policy decisions designed to check this drain.

The first thing in order would be the taking of immediate steps to improve the existing state of medical and health care in the country. The public health care system is in a deplorable state. If it is improved substantially, then this will check the desire of some sections of people to get foreign treatment. Much greater positive results can come from regulating and bringing up to standard the private clinics, hospitals, diagnostic centres. Many such establishments fall far short of the mandatory requirements of professional standards and would lose their licences if the rules are enforced properly. Therefore, it is imperative to enforce the rules against them so that their owners or operators feel effectively persuaded to much improve their quality of services. Furthermore, the government should make its own investments for the establishment of more general hospitals as well as specialised hospitals.

The private sector should also be persuaded to come forward to set up more such hospitals and facilities for specialised medical care considering these to be investments with prospects of good returns because there exists a huge demand for such standard medical care in the country. Only by pursuing such a kind of strategy, the phenomenon of the drain of resources on foreign treatment can be brought down very substantially and the country can save much resources that can be invested in other productive sectors. One may say that costs will be incurred even in the setting up of new medical services. But one has to take note of the fact that these would be one-time investments but the same may to a great extent stop the present regular drain of resources for foreign treatment.