The High Court today wanted to know whether private hospitals and diagnostic centres are charging extra from people who are going to test for Dengue fever and whether the government hospitals are conducting the tests free of cost.

The court asked Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar to inform this to the court on Monday after communicating with the Director General of the Directorate of Health Services.

Private hospitals and diagnostic centres cannot charge extra from the patients, the court said.

The government hospitals must test patients for dengue at free of cost, it added.

The High Court bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahsan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader passed the order on a Suo Moto move following a report published on Prothom Alo today saying that private hospitals and diagnostic centres are charging higher than the fixed price for testing dengue fever.

Advocate Moshtak Ahmed Chowdhury placed the newspaper report before the High Court bench for necessary order. The court then fixed Monday for passing further order on this issue.