When will public hospitals be accountable?
Over the years, we have seen how corruption, mismanagement and lack of accountability have crippled the public healthcare system, with corrective measures seldom taken to address this situation. A recent report by Prothom Alo, citing data from the health directorate, showed how far the rot has spread. Apparently, some 3,331 medical equipment worth over Tk 800 crore are lying idle in 84 public hospitals across the country. About 933 of them are damaged beyond repair, the report said, while the rest can be used if repaired. The problem is, there has been hardly any initiative from the relevant authorities to this end.
For instance, at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, an MRI machine has been out of order for more than two years. But instead of repairing it, hospital authorities have been sending patients to other clinics to do an MRI. (Allegedly, such referrals often involve clandestine dealings with the service providers.) And not just expensive machines, even basic equipment such as ECG or X-ray machines, ultrasound machines and nebulisers have been left unused or without repair in these hospitals, adding to the suffering of patients. Strangely, in many cases, there are equipment that haven't even been unboxed. For example, a linear accelerator (LINAC) machine, purchased at a cost of Tk 10 crore, has been lying unopened at the Khulna Medical College Hospital since 2012. Reportedly, it was sent by the health ministry even though the hospital did not give any requisition for it.
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The question is, why would the ministry send machines even if there was no need for them? Previously, we have seen how the Central Medicine Store Depot, the procurement agency under the health ministry, got involved in various malpractices and supplied unnecessary equipment to public medical colleges and hospitals. Such corruption must not be tolerated. We urge the higher authorities to ensure that all hospital equipment are put to proper use, or repaired if they are out of order. They must establish accountability in the health sector, otherwise ordinary patients will continue to suffer.
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