Private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres, once appreciated for their latest technology and service potential, have now allegedly strayed into profit motive by neglecting quality healthcare, especially during the coronavirus onslaught.
Patients and their relatives say such healthcare providers in the port city are not living up to expectations from them -- and the situation prompted experts to prescribe their early cure from the deviations.
Local people, patients and relatives of the patients say that private clinics in Chattogram are providing "substandard" health services to the patients while taking exorbitant charges from them.
Talking to the FE in the port city recently they stated how bad the situation is inside the privately-owned healthcare facilities. They narrated how private hospitals and diagnostic centres have turned into profit-driven enterprises devoid of the basic principles that govern health service universally.
Locals said the low-quality health services in Chattogram's private clinics came to light following the coronavirus outbreak one and a half years ago.
The situation came to such a pass that many patients, including those who need emergency treatments, decline to go to private hospitals as they provide substandard services whereas bill too much from the patients, said a city-dweller who experienced untold suffering when he took a severely-ill relative of him to a private clinic recently. "People are reluctant to go to private hospitals which are now looking for patients when the public hospitals struggling to accommodate the flow of patients," he said.
There is no mistaking the severity of the crisis facing private-sector healthcare facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic with the government hospitals grappling with the flow of patients. Private clinics and diagnostic centres are fleecing the patients taking advantage of the current situation, said another victim who also suffered immensely, both in terms of money and hassles when he got admitted his close relative to another city clinic recently.
According to a renowned physician of the city these types of malpractices and irregularities by private clinics and exploitation of patients are taking place in private clinics and laboratories when the private-sector healthcare facilities are of vital importance not only to the vast number of patients dependent on them but also the policymakers under pressure to handle the country's growing health needs.
Under the given circumstances, people of Chattogram are still dependent on the government hospitals for their treatment or, in emergency cases, shifted to Dhaka with the hope of receiving better treatment, said the physician.
According to the sources, the port city's private clinics and diagnostic centres lack adequate facilities for diagnosis and treatment -- there is a lack of physicians, medical technologists or technicians, nurses and medical assistants. As a result, despite taking huge charge from the patients, they have failed to ensure quality treatment and services for those who need them, said the sources.
According to civil surgeon's office in the city, there are a total of 400 private clinics and diagnostic centres in Chattogram. Of these, 153 private clinics and hospitals are legal which also have laboratories and diagnostic facilities. Of the 400, only 153 got registered with the government department concerned properly and have licenses. The rest are illegal and some of these applied for registration.
Of the 153 registered private clinics, 93 are in the city area while the remainder are in rural areas.
There are 10 private clinics and diagnostic centres in Hathazari Upazila, eight in Mirsarai Upazila, seven in Fatickchhari, six in Lohagara, Satkania and Sitakunda upazilas have five each, Potia has four, Anwara, Sandwip and Boalkhali have two each while Rangunia, Banshkhali, Chandanaish and Raojan have three each.
The patients alleged that they never get proper services at these private clinics too.
Both the private clinics in the city and outside have no regular physicians or specialists. They call up physicians or specialists immediately after admitting a patient, depending on how much ability the patient posses to bear expenses of the exorbitant treatment cost charged by the clinics, or else they call the doctors and experts several hours after admission of a patient, it is alleged. The specialist physicians usually come ending their other sorts of business, they also alleged.
Besides, in many cases, the diagnostic centres give wrong report on health condition of a patient, especially the critical ones.
"If anybody does same test at separate diagnostic centres in the city or in an Upazila, the reports will be different," said a patient, Mohammed Azad.
On the other hand, there is no central oxygen-supply system at maximum clinics in Chattogram. Besides, crisis of ICUs or CCUs is a common phenomenon. As a result, coronavirus-affected patients are not getting proper treatment in most of the private clinics save Maa O Shishu Hospital, Imperial Hospital, Metropolitan Hospital, Max Hospital and CSCR.
Apart from that, there is no privately-owned specialised hospital or clinic in Chattogram. So, many patients with heart ailments, kidney diseases etc have to travel to the capital or go abroad for treatment.
Admitting that the health service in Chattogram is not up to the mark now, Chittagong Medical University Vice-chancellor (VC) Professor Dr Mohammed Ismail Khan said the quality of health services, particularly in the private clinics, need immediate improvement. "They (health services) should be upgraded and modernised, and should also be made proper," he added.
Professor Dr A Q M Serajul Islam, former leader of the Chattogram chapter of BMA and ex-professor of Chittagong Medical College, said, "We need specialised government hospitals in Chattogram. The private hospitals here cannot provide proper health service to the people. Patients regularly make complaints against the private clinics regarding high charge and substandard treatment and services in private hospitals and clinics here."
Dr Hasan Shahriar, Divisional Director of Health Department in Chattogram, said, "The government is working to improve the quality of health service in Chattogram. The government is also establishing Medical University in Chattogram and upgrading the hospital.
"We are working to set up child hospital, burn institute and cancer hospital here. I hope that the present crisis will be removed soon."
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